Tracking an Archetype: The Child Motif in Dreams and its Transformation in the Process of Psychotherapy

Abstract

Abstract This study examines the occurrence of the child motif in dream series from psychoanalytic therapies in 38 cases using the grounded theory method. According to C. G. Jung's analytical psychology, archetypal symbols with universal forms emerge during the transformation process in psychotherapy. This study presents Jung's characterisation of the archetype of the divine child, as well as the controversy surrounding the distinction between the child archetype and the concept of the inner child. Qualitative analysis confirms the characteristic appearance of the child motif across different dream series, as well as its characteristic developmental dynamic. Initially indifferent or hostile towards the child, the dream ego increasingly takes responsibility for it as the series progresses, ultimately caring for it successfully. This development goes hand in hand with progress in psychotherapy. The implications for the validity of Jung's archetype theory are discussed.