LECTURE: "Who Am I to You?" by Howard Tyas, Jr., Jungian Analyst

Fee:  $10 (Cash or Check)       Please pay at the event.

Friday, September 22, 2023 - 7:30pm

Church of Reconciliation, 110 N Elliott Road, Chapel Hill, NC

In response to Socrates’ ancient admonition, “Know thyself,” we sometimes find ourselves asking,“Who am I?” The answer to this question involves one of the greatest dramas of human life: the drama which Jung referred to as individuation – the process of recognizing and becoming one’s true self. 

And while this great drama unfolds there is a second drama, equally important, vying for our attention. This drama involves our unfolding personal, social and vocational relationships inthe world. As we make our way through life, playing our part, this second drama begs thequestion, “Who am I to you?” It is in the dance and the tension between these two great dramas that the true personality makes its way.

This lecture will explore the interplay between the two dramas, the inner and the relational. Particular attention will be given to the various social relationships we find ourselves engaged in –family and friends, partners and pilgrims, patients and clients, colleagues and citizens. We will  examine the inescapable role projection plays in forging such relationships, both as a tool for knowing ourselves better and as an obstacle to genuine interaction. While it is in our most intimate relationships that we best witness the interplay between these two essential dramas, their presence can be observed daily in almost every human contact. 

Jung’s work on the nature of the therapeutic transference between therapist and patient will provide a blueprint for understanding the everyday challenges we face when interacting with other people. 

In the end, each of us must struggle with balancing the questions, “Who am I?” and “Who am I to you?”

Brief Bio of Howard W. Tyas, Jr., Dmin, PhD

Dr. Howard Tyas is a Jungian psychoanalyst in private practice in Charlotte, North Carolina, and a graduate of the C. G. Jung Institute – Zurich. He is currently working on a project to publish a collection of lectures delivered to various Friends of Jung groups over the years.

An avid walker and baseball enthusiast, Howard is now enjoying more time spent with family and grandchildren.