INTERVIEW WITH EVANGELOS YATROUTSIKO PRATTO: "THE SAGINENESS OF THE ARCHETYPES IS AN EFFORT OF THEIR MYSTERY"
Efthymios Ioannidis is interviewed
Evangelos Giatroutsikos Prattos was born and raised in Athens. He is an honors graduate of the undergraduate program "Studies in European Culture" of the E.A.P. and of the postgraduate program "Philosophy" of EKPA, specializing in "History of Philosophy and Ideas". He has taken part in scientific conferences and has published his articles in scientific journals. At the same time, he is the editor-in-chief and founding member of the website The Weird Side Daily, while he has the honor of participating in seven literary collections. In addition, in 2019 he was awarded the XNUMXnd Prize for "Fantastic Short Story for Young People". He often attends seminars about philosophy, history and psychology and was involved in music for years. His research interests include issues of ontology, aesthetic and moral philosophy, mystical theology and depth psychology
What prompted you to take up the question of Archetypes?
The allure of archetypes is a consequence of their mystery. Their inaccessible essence, their symbolic language, their connection with dream and myth, with fairy tale and the transcendent, reinforces their enigmatic character. My first contact with Jung's thinking was through a study by Edward Armstrong Bennett, who was a friend and collaborator of the Swiss psychiatrist. While reading his book, I was intrigued by a chapter dealing with the issue of archetypes. From then on, I focused my study on Jung's own works, and archetypes came to dominate my research. Several years later, I had the good fortune to meet a man who inspired me and we happened to share common interests in the study of archetypal ideas. This is the supervisor of my thesis, Mr. Georgios Arabatzis, who prefaces the book.
Research on Jung's analytical psychology, especially in the Western world, has proliferated. In our country, on the contrary, the relevant studies are limited. What difficulties did you face while writing your study?
The main difficulty I encountered was the limited circle of Jungian researchers psychology in Greece, so as to develop a constructive exchange of ideas and opinions. However, I had the honor of having my proposal for doctoral research accepted by Mr. Spyridonas Tsitsigos who specializes in the subject of Psychology of Religion and has devoted much of his research to analytical psychology. With his guidance and experience, I want to believe that new perspectives on archetype research will emerge. Also, I have had the pleasure for some months now of getting close to the postdoctoral researcher Petros Papapostolou (see "The Archetype of God" Daedaleos Publications), who has a very good cognitive background and has researched Jung's texts in depth. As a result of the above, a fruitful dialogue has started at the scientific level, which I hope will bring some positive results in the near future.
I would like at this point, if you don't mind, to briefly define for us the meaning of the word archetype...
What exactly is one archetype is quite a complex issue, as the reader of the book will quickly understand. This is mainly because we understand the dynamics of the archetype from the result. It is a multi-prismatic concept which opens up in quite diverse branches (scientific and non-scientific) and leaves many questions unanswered. To be more precise, it is a concept and an experience at the same time, an image and an experience, while an archetype could also be perceived as an a priori pattern of behavior which is expressed as a mental demand. So I would prefer not to give any further information because I would like to leave the adventure of discovery to the reader. I believe that by studying the book, he will find rich bibliography and material, so that he can delve more deeply into the specific subject.
How decisive and influential would you say our collective unconscious is in our behavior?
If we take into account Jung's extensive studies and his many years of clinical experience, it could be said that the influence of archetypes on our mental world is decisive. The collective unconscious, or otherwise the land of spirits in the language of the primitives, is the psychological territory which "hosts" the archetypes. There are circumstances which "trigger" archetypal patterns which tend to present themselves as psychic demands. Through the healing process and with painstaking personal effort, it is possible for the course of individuation to unfold smoothly. The ultimate goal is to expand the individual's consciousness and to get to know aspects of himself (individual and collective) which were previously unknown to him, with the aim of reaching the unconscious depth, the archetype of totality which calls us and at the same time creates it.
How relevant would you say Jung and his theories are in an ever-changing world?
Jung is an important milestone in the history of ideas, and modern psychology and psychiatry could not be understood without the work of this great thinker. There is a tendency to marginalize and demonize Jungian thought, and it is viewed by many academics as an outdated piece of psychology's history. I personally stand by those who approach Jung's work with respect and love. Jung's thought is psycho-centric, deeply spiritual and heavily imbued with strong empathy and social concerns. It could therefore be an important therapeutic tool for the difficulties we experience every day on an individual and collective level.
How would you say that the contact and engagement with Jung's philosophical world and wider theoretical world has influenced the way you deal with reality?
Being involved in philosophy greatly broadened my perception and certainly made me question many things that I took for granted. More specifically, it highlighted the multiplicity of interpretations of what we consider "real" or self-evident. In terms of analytical psychology, Jung had a tremendous gift for turning darkness into light. As is well known he went through several dark periods in his life, reached his nadir and emerged wiser than ever.
He did not give up and was not afraid to look at man with a clear eye: with his weaknesses, his pettiness, his greatness and his potential. Personally, I am not some kind of expert, nor someone who has definitively solved his issues through his friction with philosophy and depth psychology.
I just feel, somewhat intuitively, that I am at the beginning of a journey into the Unknown. My daily life is difficult like everyone else's and many times I face things with doubt and hesitation. What my studies and my studies have given me is the possibility of a critical detachment and observation in which I can understand much but am usually able to change little. As Schelling explains, the more a person's self-awareness increases, the more he understands that he could not do otherwise than he does.
I believe in a sense in the inescapable, with a hidden hope that at some point this mysterious transition from persona to person will be achieved and from a person I will become an a-person, i.e. a psychological whole (person) in unimpeded contact with the its ontological center, the image of God within us or otherwise with the archetype of the Self.
See the interview at https://thessculture.gr/vivlia/synenteyxi-me-ton-eyaggelo-giatroyts/
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