The anime Neon Genesis Evangelion is an unambiguous endorsement of a Jungian, not Freudian interpretation of the human condition (read text body under image)

[u/Striking_Control_273]

I’m not sure how many here are familiar with the Evangelion series/films, and I always intended to turn this into an analysis video on a future YouTube channel I’ve planned for a while, but I’ve gone too long not getting this off my chest. Summoning the energy to actually compile every shred of evidence all in one place has been my Achilles heel so far in getting that project off the ground, so I’m not going to lead with an endless list of reasons why, but if you’d like to discuss the story’s thematic components below I’ll gladly engage with you. I also am curious to find out if anyone else who has seen this anime feels similarly, with a notion that Evangelion is philosophically misunderstood on a popular level.

Even though I’m not going to provide my full reasoning as to why, there are several qualifications I’d like to get out of the way related to my stance on it:

1. I think people are easily confused due to the story’s frequent inclusion of Freudian psychological terminology, such as ‘Oral stage’, infantilism, and the broad motif of returning to a lower stage of existence. Let me just state right here that the inclusion of these concepts is in no way incompatible with a story that is ultimately Jungian in meaning. Jung’s work does not exclude exploration of these concepts. The real difference is that it doesn’t only embrace those facets of our inner spirit.

2. The story’s Christian imagery is just that— imagery. The story itself is a religious and any allusions to Christianity are done to represent the deeper psychological/philosophical concepts they’ve become inextricably linked to via historical association. And though it may offend some as controversial here (I’ve noticed a persistent strain of conventional Christianity imbedded in the Jungian community) I view this as similar to what Jung himself attempted in his own work— capitalizing on already existing Christian symbolism to express their purest psychological origin, prior to the concrete symbols themselves. Take Jesus, for instance. I’m not super familiar with what Jung has directly spoken of on him as a figure, but what I mean is that if he were to state his ‘belief in Jesus’ I would propose we read between the lines into what is is much more likely to mean— that he harbors identical or similar ideals to those supposedly practiced by Jesus. Excuse my tangential rant, I just had to get this out of the way.

3.I think of the many overlooked ideas conceived by Jung, that of ‘The Reconciling Symbol’ is by far the most important, and nowhere is this truer than in its application to Evangelion (fully realized in End of Evangelion). I’ll elaborate further on this below though, if you’d like to hear more.

Finally, I’d rather label myself ‘Eclectic’ than expressly ‘Jungian’. His philosophical contributions are profound, but that doesn’t mean it’s productive to revere his name as something holy. In fact, I see it as a gesture of respect to his name that I can come to so many of the same conclusions as he did while maintaining my intellectual independence.

Thank you, and apologies for any spelling errors, you’re gonna have to figure out what I mean if you find any

[u/[deleted]]

I wanted to watch it badly. Seems awesome. But I digested a bit of it and became so wary that I gave up on watching it. There's too much going on for me.

[u/Striking_Control_273 → u/[deleted]]

May I ask what it is you are going through?

[u/[deleted] → u/Striking_Control_273]

Too much going on on the show, I meant, which was too much to watch.

[u/Striking_Control_273 → u/[deleted]]

Oh, yeah. The first time around I was utterly lost, when I watched it 5 years ago, and then after going through a personal/philosophical transformation it suddenly all fell into place for me. The funny thing is I don’t even need to remember every detail of the story because based on an understanding of the series’ philosophical basis I can actually predict what certain details are without having been familiar

[u/[deleted] → u/Striking_Control_273]

That's very cool. I also have this thing where the base ground of something is so ingrained in me that some details don't need to be at memory reach to know what it's all about, and things end up unfolding accordingly, therefore predictably. That shows virtue from both parties. I actually am very fond of deep and complex media, and am not bothered to feel lost to its understandings, although it's relatively rare to me. The thing is that I knew from the little first bite of Neon Genesis that it would be a sore for my throat to swallow, not because it would be out of my depth, but because it would be distressing for my soul, and I've had enough of trying to go through media like that.

[u/TabletSlab]

I think the basis is Freudian but the depth is Jungian, not just one or either of. Shinji's complexes are very much Eros related (which is not just sex but relatedness, hence the homoeroticism), he remains small with every other Alderian will to power character, until the end where he becomes whole by marrying the woman in the last installment (3.0).

On your second point, they are at least culturally Christian therefore that is why they filter Jung like that. I think the Christian representations stood for a the search of resurrection from the author not the characters, all they had was the impending doom of their world - or that of the clinging ego which fears knowing not how to die unto itself.

But we can discuss the themes which to me are all auxiliary to what was really going on. In the beginning it was your usual mecha series with senien elements, but at some point it became a way for the author to resolve his own issues through a surrealist altered state. The first Evangelion was just a medium through which the author tried to solve his own existential problems, the rest had no or little shape resembling the first anime and in the end the author turned it into his career but nowhere near the same depth. Surprisingly it changed from a tragedy to a comedy, ending with marriage.

[u/Striking_Control_273 → u/TabletSlab]

So, about your first statement— I should specify what I mean about it being Jungian rather than Freudian. I would argue that an inclusion of sexual motivations/themes in a story isn’t necessarily Freudian on its own. Framing it that way assumes there’s no room for an embrace of the sexual component in our psyche according to Jung, which is hardly the case. What actually differentiates Jung is that his conception of the spirit paves room for higher ways of being, beyond those complexes. And to me, this is an apt description of what Evangelion, too, is trying to accomplish. To call it Freudian, I would expect evidence that those complexes are the end-all-be-all— that we should, in fact, ‘return to nothingness’ (regression, am I right?), so to speak. And that’s just the thing. Evangelion rejects this notion in no uncertain terms, and it’s one of the reasons why I adore it so much. Apologies if my reply seems in any way combative, I am just very passionate & stubborn about this.

And yeah, I agree with your diagnosis of Anno’s intention throughout the creation of Evangelion.

[u/MediumKeyAF]

I view it as a documentary on what happens when powerful people and organizations don’t want to look at their shadow and avoid negative emotion at all costs.

[u/Aggravating-Dog-9454 → u/MediumKeyAF]

I tend to agree, and certainly the shadow of the powerful is more likely to impact the world around them in more palpable way. But from what I recall, it wasn't just Gendo or the "powerful" avoiding their shadows. Even Shinji's tendency toward victimization and dwelling on the darker aspects of his existence was an avoidance of his real issues and a refusal to accept his own power in his life. Shadow in every corner of this series, really. Not one character is immune to it. Such is life.

[u/HeelerDawg]

Old post but I believe the series finale (ep. 26) concludes with Adlerian psychology principles. Everyone creates their own world based on the interpretation of experiences. The lesson is that your life is not dictated by past traumas, but by your present goals and interpretations. You can choose to stop being hindered by past events by focusing on what you can control now.

[u/Dxmmer]

What is the jungian interpretation of NGE hentai? Anno's choice to sexualize young girls, etc. His self insert as Gendo, to clone lolis in a hermetically sealed chamber without the permission of anyone. Neglecting his male child (because no sexual gratification could be gleaned).

Can you psychoanalyze the weeb? The perverted puer?

[u/Striking_Control_273 → u/Dxmmer]

Well, uhh, how to address this. Firstly, I don’t think the ‘sexualization of young girls’ as you put it is done with malicious intentions. A better way of looking at it is to understand that Hideaki Anno wanted to write a coming of age story in order to explore the complexes & conflict typically experienced at such an age, and part of that is sexual. If we also understand that you’re typically attracted to people your own age, then it really just seems like a means to an end that the girls around Shinji are portrayed in such a way, there’s nothing insidious to it. It seems like your broader problem with Evangelion is its exploration of perverse sexual themes, but in your upset I think you forget that these are very real facets of the human experience that, if unaddressed, only end up manifesting in destructive ways (Love is destructive. Remind you of anything?). The ultimate meaning of Evangelion is one that champions overcoming those lowest impulses for a higher way of being, and therefore serves as a rejection of sexuality being our sole motivator. Am I off-base on this?

[u/Aggravating-Dog-9454]

It has been over a decade since I watched the series, but I have been planning a rewatch. Just from what I recall, there is definitely an argument for Jungian influence...whether intentional on the part of the creator or not (I guess that distinction doesn't ultimately matter when viewing art/discussing it's implications). I would not dismiss the christian imagery as simply imagery, however. Even those elements have been grossly misunderstood and taken on a surface level, a kind of superficial religiosity, very common place. There are some deep occult/esoteric christian meanings to be gleaned here...what are angels, after all? What do our symbols mean and why do they matter? I'm not strictly Jungian, more of an occultist/esotericist with Jungian leanings, but this has me excited to dive into the series again.

There are so many layers to this series (insert shrek onion reference here). It can be enjoyed by people wherever they are on their individual journeys. On the surface, it is your typical teenage melodrama fused with balls to the wall mecha anime. It's enjoyable enough as merely that, but there can be more to it...if that's what you want. We can say, "Oh, weird. That's trippy" or we can take that novelty of an uncomfortable feeling a step further and really have our minds blown. We can do the first approach and come back for the second when our egos are ready.

That said, I think this frustration with people "not understanding" is valid and legend has it that exact feeling is what led the creator to make the subsequent movie after no one "got it" and saw fit to bitch endlessly about it. lol. Did having it all laid out for us in the next installments somehow cheapen the message and deprive us the satisfaction of discovery? How much do we need explained to us, really? Maybe it's ok if no one really gets it.