Inflation – A state of mind characterized by an exaggerated sense of self-importance, often compensated by feelings of inferiority.
Inflation, whether positive or negative, is a symptom of psychological possession, indicating the need to assimilate unconscious complexes or to disidentify from the self.
An inflated consciousness is always egocentric and conscious of nothing but its own existence. It is incapable of learning from the past, incapable of understanding contemporary events, and incapable of drawing right conclusions about the future. This ‘consciousness’ is hypnotized by itself and therefore cannot be argued with. It inevitably dooms itself to calamities that must strike it dead. Paradoxically enough, inflation is a regression of consciousness into unconsciousness. This always happens when consciousness takes too many unconscious contents upon itself and loses the faculty of discrimination, the sine qua non of all consciousness. [“Epilogue,” CW 12, par. 563.]
Inflation is Not Conscious
[Inflation] should not be interpreted as … conscious self-aggrandizement. Such is far from being the rule. In general we are not directly conscious of this condition at all, but can at best infer its existence indirectly from the symptoms. These include the reactions of our immediate environment. Inflation magnifies the blind spot in the eye. [“The Self,” CW 9ii, par. 44.]
© from Daryl Sharp’s Jung Lexicon, reproduced with kind permission of the author.
Going Deeper
If this topic has touched you, one way to follow up is to engage in a Jungian analysis process.
To help you further explore this, some helpful articles and pages on this website include:
Working with Jungian Theory and Practice looks at going deeper into Jungian work.
Jungian Analysis – an Adventure into the Self explores the topic further.
To learn more about me, see Jungian Analyst – Melbourne.
To listen to a podcast with Laura London in her Speaking of Jung series, check out this Podcast with Laura London.
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