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What it means

The loudest moralist, the hardest cynic and the most anxious perfectionist are often fighting their own opposite. Extremes are a defense. When you catch yourself going too far, look at what you are pushing away.

The source

"Extreme behavior hints at its hidden opposite." Carl Jung said it in Collected Papers (1917), ch. XIV 'The Psychology of the Unconscious Processes'. Translated by Constance E. Long, 1917.

"Extremes of conduct always arouse suspicions of the opposite tendencies in the unconscious."

Constance E. Long, 1917, Collected Papers (1917), ch. XIV 'The Psychology of the Unconscious Processes'. Text read at gutenberg.org.

Who said it

Carl Jung (1875–1961). Swiss psychiatrist who broke with Freud and founded analytical psychology. He mapped the persona, the shadow, the collective unconscious and the lifelong work of becoming yourself, which he called individuation. Our lines come only from his writings published before 1931, in our own translations from the German or in English translations of the time.

Questions

What does "Extreme behavior hints at its hidden opposite." mean?
The loudest moralist, the hardest cynic and the most anxious perfectionist are often fighting their own opposite. Extremes are a defense. When you catch yourself going too far, look at what you are pushing away.
Who said "Extreme behavior hints at its hidden opposite."?
Carl Jung (1875–1961). Source: Collected Papers (1917), ch. XIV 'The Psychology of the Unconscious Processes'.
What is the original wording?
Extremes of conduct always arouse suspicions of the opposite tendencies in the unconscious (Constance E. Long, 1917). Translated by Constance E. Long, 1917.
Is "Extreme behavior hints at its hidden opposite." on a shirt?
Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

Cite this line

"Extreme behavior hints at its hidden opposite." (Carl Jung, Collected Papers (1917), ch. XIV 'The Psychology of the Unconscious Processes', trans. Constance E. Long, 1917). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/extreme-behavior-hints-at-its-hidden-opposite

Filed under Quotes about calm.

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