Inner Life, Outer World: The Psychology of Adaptation

Adaptation is a bread-and-butter concept in psychotherapy - can we accept, adjust to, and thrive in the outer and inner worlds we live in? Given constraints, what does it take to find life at least meaningful, hopefully satisfying--and flourish? 

This week Jungian analyst and author JOHN R. WHITE, Ph.D. joins us to circumambulate the complexities of adaptation. Successful adaptation involves making conscious choices based on a realistic understanding of the internal and external parameters in which we operate. Adaptation not only requires a true-to-life perception of possibilities and pathways in the external world, it may also require reassessment and reordering of our values and attitudes. 

We discuss Robert Langs’ “adaptive paradigm,” a distinct model of the mind and the unconscious and emotional components that connect inner life to the outer world. For example, Langs understands dreams as feedback about current adaptive challenges. This is both subtly different and complementary to Jung’s approach, which suggests that inability to solve an outer world problem is often due to an underdeveloped understanding of an aspect of inner life.

Adaptation does not eliminate turmoil, suffering and loss; they are part of life. We need to recognize environmental actualities and internal limitations that cannot be changed—and develop ways to mitigate or adjust to them. Successful adaptation also requires mourning what cannot be changed, developing a less egocentric stance, and building a life in tune with reality. 

Visit our website to read today’s dream and a complete list of the resources we mention: https://thisjungianlife.com/adaptation/

Follow Up

Read John White’s book, Adaptation and Psychotherapy: Langs and Analytical Psychology

Sign up for our free summit on ⁠Depth Psychology and Artificial Intelligence⁠

Download our free Dream Recall Meditation Guide

Send a dream for us to analyze on the show

Take a look at This Jungian Life Dream School, our online course in Jungian dream analysis.