Hermes - Modern Psychological Interpretation

Modern Psychological Interpretation

For Carl Jung Hermes was guide to the underworld is become the god of the unconscious, the mediator of information between the conscious and unconscious factors of the mind, and the archetypal messenger conveying communication between realms. Hermes is seminally the guide for the inner journey. Jung considered the gods Thoth and Hermes to be counterparts (Yoshida 2006). In Jungian psychology especially (by Combs and Holland 1994 ), Hermes is thought relevant to study of the phenomenon of synchronicity ( together with Pan and Dionysus)

Hermes is ... the archetypal core of Jung's psyche, theories ... —DL Merritt

In the context of psycho-therapy Hermes is our inner friendliness bringing together the disparate and perhaps isolated core elements of our selves belonging to the realms of the other gods;

...He does not fight with the other gods... it is Hermes in us who befriends our psychological complexes centered by the other gods... — López-Pedraza

He is for some identified as the archetype of healer (López-Pedraza 2003) ... in ancient Greece he healed through magic (McNeely 2011).

In the context of abnormal psychology Samuels (1986) states that Jung considers Hermes the archetype for narcissistic disorder, but also lending the disorder a "positive" (beneficious) aspect, that is Hermes is both the good and bad of narcissism.

For López-Pedraza, Hermes is the protector of psychotherapy. For McNeely, Hermes is a god of the healing arts(p. 88 ).

In a consideration of all the roles Hermes was understood to have fulfilled in ancient Greece Christopher Booker gives the genius of the god to be a guide or observer of transition.