Hold the tension of opposites until a third way appears

Let two conflicting positions each speak fully, refuse a quick winner, and watch for a new attitude.

Perché funziona

Jung called the result of a sustained exchange between conscious and unconscious the transcendent function: transcendent because it makes the transition from one attitude to another possible (CW 8, par. 145). In his account the second stage brings the opposites together to produce a third, and it needs an ego that can hold its standpoint while the counter-position is given equal value (par. 181). Johnson describes the same thing as the conscious mind and the unconscious meeting on equal terms in the imagination, so that something forms that neither side could produce alone.

Come farlo

1. Name a live conflict in which two inner positions pull hard in opposite directions.
2. Let each take the form of a figure, and give each its full say in writing over one or more sessions.
3. Hold your own standpoint without letting either side simply win, and without dropping your own view.
4. Watch for a third possibility: a new image, a symbol or a changed attitude that neither side proposed. Write it down when it comes.

Prove scientifiche

The transcendent function is the theoretical core of Jung's 1916 essay and is linked by Johnson directly to active imagination. It is a theoretical construct from Jung's clinical and personal experience; it has not been operationalized or measured in controlled research. (anecdotal)

No controlled outcome trial of active imagination was found (PubMed search, 2026-10-14); the evidence is clinical writing and case reports from Jungian analysis. The transcendent function is an interpretive idea, not an established psychological finding; treat the "third" as something to watch for, not something guaranteed.

Fonti

• Jung, C. G. "The Transcendent Function" (written 1916; revised and published in the late 1950s). In Collected Works Vol. 8, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche. Princeton University Press, pars. 131-193.
• Johnson, R. A. (1986). Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth. Harper & Row.
• Jung, C. G. (1997). Jung on Active Imagination (J. Chodorow, Ed.). Princeton University Press.

Errore comune

Forcing a compromise too early, or siding with whichever figure is louder that day. Jung's point is that the new attitude grows out of holding the tension, not out of choosing a winner.