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Hogenson, who is a teacher of political philosophy, undertakes what is essentially an analysis from a philosophical perspective of the conflict of mythologies that took (and takes) place between Freud and Jung. Certain key areas such as the rôle of death, authority, power and time are central in this scholarly and impressive work. Throughout the book Hogenson's assertions are carefully and thoroughly supported by evidence, and all is laid out in an admirably clear and workmanlike manner. I have no adverse criticism: the author defines what he sets out to do, and he does it. Developments subsequent to Jung's struggle with Freud are not included in his brief. A fairly detailed knowledge of the works and biographies of both men is probably necessary to enjoy Hogenson's book, and also an acquaintance with philosophy. He provides an agreeably demanding work-out in conceptualising, and a good dictionary is helpful at times. In my view his achievement is deeply thought-provoking and enriching.
Saying that both Freud and Jung move ‘from (1) individual personal experience to (2) the disclosure of general principles that (3) in turn provide a means of insight into the personal experiences of himself and others’, and that at crucial points in their lives each suppressed information about himself, Hogenson introduces the concept of metabiography to clarify the significance of the use of biographical information in the development and validation of psychoanalysis (the term is here used to refer to the systems of interpretation for both Freud and Jung). He submits that metabiography is concerned with how historically decisive or exemplary figures represent themselves (or are represented by others) so that their lives can become universal and determinative of the possibilities of meaning for others. Inasmuch as systems of interpretation bring worlds into being, they are cosmogonic, and the move therefore from the exemplar to the general constitutes the founding of a mythology. Hoge