GENEALOGICAL COMPLEX AND TRADITIONS OF THE HOLY SUPPER: PSYCHOLOGICAL AND ETHNOGRAPHIC VIEW

Abstract

The article offers psychological and ethnographic views on the archetype and symbolism of Ukrainian folk customs, in particular the tradition of the Holy Supper; the structure of the psyche, the theory of archetypes and complexes by C. Jung are considered. The author points out the pole nature of the archetype and its properties: image, emotion, and dynamism; emphasizes that the absence of any of these elements means that there is no archetype. The author emphasizes that archetypes have a healing power for a person, and complexes can become an obstacle to personal development and cause psychological problems. The mechanism of the complex emergence is revealed as a consequence of the fact that the polar structure of the archetype breaks down when it is divided into parts under the influence of traumatic events, for example, into negative and positive poles. The author defines the generic complex as a part (components) of the unconscious that are interconnected by strong emotions, stereotypical behavior and the general content of the generic archetype. It is noted that these are relationships with “inner ancestors” formed by the real family circle of a person, society and the archetypal image of ancestors. The rite of the Holy Supper as a family holiday is described and its influence on the psychological state of a person is revealed. Examples of human experiences that “fill” the positive and negative poles of the archetype of the Holy Supper are given. In particular, it is noted that in the positive pole it carries gratitude, abundance, hope, memory, protection, care, etc., and in the negative pole it carries fear, anxiety, despair, hunger and abandonment. It is pointed out that the holistic archetype has all these emotions, and most of them are not personal experiences of a person, but collective experience (from family and clan to nation and all mankind). Psychological measures to help a person who is under the influence of a negative generic complex are indicated, namely: the need to realize the negative component of the archetype, activate the positive pole, and “flatten” both parts into a single whole. The technique of psychological assistance “The Lost Photo” is proposed.