collective unconscious

noun

: the inherited part of the unconscious that especially in the psychoanalytic theory of Carl Gustav Jung occurs in and is shared by all the members of a people or race

Examples of collective unconscious in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Whatever dreams may have been swirling in electronic music’s collective unconscious on January 1, 2020, they were fated to die on the vine. —Philip Sherburne, Pitchfork, 11 Oct. 2024

Chalice of Blood evokes the horrors of religious war without coming close to reviving our collective unconscious. —Armond White, National Review, 7 Aug. 2024

But Herry’s insight into France’s social instability reminds us of a nation’s psychic conflict — and that Boorman’s movie, signifying his interest in the collective unconscious, was based on a book titled Country of My Skull. —Armond White, National Review, 2 Aug. 2024

At a time when conversations around self-discovery are surging, the analyst’s theories on the collective unconscious, archetypes and shadow are increasingly influencing the work of social media-savvy healers, therapists and life coaches. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 28 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

translation of German kollektives Unbewusstes

First Known Use

1917, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

collective unconscious

noun

col·​lec·​tive unconscious kə-ˈlek-tiv- 

: the genetically determined part of the unconscious that especially in the psychoanalytic theory of C. G. Jung occurs in all the members of a people or race