Table Of ContentA I
CT AND MAGE
H
OW DID HUMANS DEVELOP THE
?
CAPACITY FOR SYMBOL IMAGINATION
I
n this groundbreaking book, Warren Colman provides a
reformulation of archetypal symbols as emergent from humans’
engagement with their social and material environment. This view
is rooted in a phenomenological perspective that sees psychic life as
emergent from embodied action in the world. How then might humans
first have developed the capacity for symbolic imagination, epitomised
by the oldest known figurative image in the world, the 40,000 year
old Lion Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel in Germany? Colman traces the
emergence of symbolic imagination through the origins of language,
the growth of human sociality and cooperation, and the creative use of
material objects from the earliest use of stone tools through the first
flowering of figurative imagery in the cave paintings and figurines
of Upper Paleolithic Europe. Drawing on recent developments in
cognitive archaeology, he argues that the social use of material objects
play an active role in the constitution of symbols which enact a
distinctively human imaginal mind. This leads to a consideration of
how the imaginal world of the spirit may have come into being, not
as separate from the material world but through active participation
within a world that is alive with meaning. Thus, the psychic, social,
and physical aspects of our being are all part of one world which, for
humans, is always a symbolic world.
P A I
RAISE FOR CT AND MAGE
As recent editor of the Journal of Analytical Psychology,
Colman is well qualified to write such a book. He starts
with the relatively modest aim of critically exploring Jung’s
theory of archetypes, but in doing so he persuasively sets out
the theoretical foundations of depth psychology. Integrating
research and thinking from neighboring fields, including
developmental psychology, neuroscience, linguistics, and
social anthropology, he effectively brings the fundamentals
of analytical psychology up to date. Colman’s book reminds
me of the pioneering writings in the traditions known as
phenomenology and philosophical anthropology, but it is rare
for a book to be philosophically rigorous and at the same time
accessible, clear, and empirically grounded. I hope that this
book will have the influence it deserves.
—Roger Brooke, Professor of Psychology, Duquesne
University, and author of Jung and Phenomenology
With characteristic lucidity, Warren Colman’s Act and Image
draws together a wealth of material from psychology, philosophy,
and anthropology to both challenge and enlarge our understanding
of the basic elements of C. G. Jung’s system. His discussion
of the central role of affective response to the symbolic is
grounded in a thorough and wide-ranging command of sources
rarely encountered in the psychoanalytic or Jungian literature.
Colman’s book will be essential reading for anyone venturing
into the ongoing discussion of the theory of archetypes, the
collective unconscious, and the nature of symbolism in
analytical psychology.
—George B. Hogenson, Ph.D., LCSW, Jungian analyst
and author of Jung’s Struggle with Freud
Drawing on ideas from an impressively wide range of
disciplines, Colman questions established ways of envisioning
the collective unconscious, and re-visions it as emerging
from our species’ evolved capacity for symbolic thinking. As
part of this re-visioning, Colman deconstructs the Cartesian,
archetypal, and hierarchical view of the psyche, and instead
sees the psyche as developing out of our embodied, relational
and cultural nature. Colman’s argument is audacious, layered,
complex, and thought-provoking; it is a quest to understand
the human psyche within a more modern framework and
challenges readers to see themselves through fresh eyes.
—Daniela F. Sieff, D. Phil, and author of Understanding
and Healing Emotional Trauma: Conversations with
Pioneering Clinicians and Researchers
Act and Image is a rich and vital addition to the Jungian literature.
Colman guides the reader through a sophisticated and in-depth
reappraisal of several central Jungian concepts—archetype,
image, symbol, and imagination. Drawing from philosophy,
phenomenology, archaeology, and anthropology, he invites
the reader to critically reflect on commonly held assumptions
regarding the relationship between the mind, archetypes,
symbols, and imagination. Act and Image is an intellectual
tour de force which will reverberate throughout the field of
Analytical Psychology. Highly recommended!
Mark Winborn, Ph.D., Jungian psychoanalyst, clinical
psychologist, and author of Deep Blues: Human
Soundscapes for the Archetypal Journey and Shared
Realities: Participation Mystique and Beyond
First published 2016 by Spring Journal Books
Published 2020 by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
52 Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2020 Warren Colman
The right of Warren Colman to be identified as author of this work has been
asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright,
Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any
information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
publishers.
Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered
trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent
to infringe.
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A catalog record has been requested for this book
ISBN: 978-0-367-86267-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-86268-8 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-01805-6 (ebk)
Technical Assistance Provided by:
Erica Mattingly
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Northern Graphic Design & Publishing
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Cover Image: “Lion Man” statuette carved of mammoth-tusk, ivory, height
311 mm, maximum width 73 mm. Discovered at the site of Hohlenstein-
Stadel-cave, township Asselfingen, district Alb-Donau, Baden-Wuerttemberg,
Germany. Upper Paleolithic period (Aurignacien), approximately 40000–
35000 BP. Photographic credits:Yvonne Mühleis, © 2016, Ulmer Museum/
Landesamt für Denkmalpflege Baden-Württemberg.
Used with permission.
To my Jewish ancestors
God rest their dear souls
A I
CT AND MAGE
T E
HE MERGENCE OF
S I
YMBOLIC MAGINATION
W C
ARREN OLMAN
