Moral Tension in the Psyche: A Jungian Interpretation of Managers' Moral Experiences

Abstract

The psyche imbues our behaviour and our moral choices. C.G. Jung placed an archetypal, spiritual self at the centre of the psyche which represents who we really are and evinces fundamental moral potential. This paper proposes that a Jungian framework of morality unravels our understanding of moral experiences by identifying points of moral tension in the psyche. The structure of the psyche is briefly outlined, with a clear emphasis on the morally relevant concepts of the persona, the self and the two-tiered conscience. The second part of the paper introduces a research study led amongst managers with an aim to make sense of their moral experiences. The results are discussed in light of the Jungian framework of morality, and conclusions are drawn on the moral significance of connectedness to the self.