One of the most significant discoveries of the early 20th century was of a part of the mind we now refer to as ‘the unconscious.’ It came to be properly appreciated that what we know of ourselves in ordinary consciousness comprises only a fraction of what is actually at play within us; and that a lot of what we really want, feel and are is not at our mental fingertips, lying instead in a penumbra of ignorance, fantasy and denial which we can only hope to dispel with patient and compassionate efforts, probably with the assistance of an analyst. Carl Jung’s Word Association Test – included below – is a tool designed to help us access the unconscious. It comproises a sequence of a 100 words. Say the very first thing that comes into your head in response to the following prompts. Then reflect on your answers and see whether any material surfaces that feels valuable but outside of the reach of your ordinary thoughts:
1. head 2. green 3. water 4. to sing 5. dead 6. long 7. ship 8. to pay 9. window 10. friendly 11. to cook 12. to ask 13. cold 14. stem 15. to dance 16. village 17. lake 18. sick 19. pride 20. to cook 21. ink 22. angry 23. needle 24. to swim 25. voyage 26. blue 27. lamp 28. to sin 29. bread 30. rich 31. tree 32. to prick 33. pity 34. yellow 35. mountain 36. to die 37. salt 38. new 39. custom 40. to pray 41. money 42. foolish 43. pamphlet 44. despise 45. finger 46. expensive 47. bird 48. to fall 49. book 50. unjust 51 frog 52. to part 53. hunger 54. white 55. child 56. to take care 57. lead pencil 58. sad 59. plum 60. to marry 61. house 62. dear 63. glass 64. to quarrel 65. fur 66. big 67. carrot 68. to paint 69. part 70. old 71. flower 72. to beat 73. box 74. wild 75. family 76. to wash 77. cow 78. friend 79. luck 80. lie 81. deportment 82. narrow 83. brother 84. to fear 85. stork 86. false 87. anxiety 88. to kiss 89. bride 90. pure 91. door 92. to choose 93. hay 94. contented 95. ridicule 96. to sleep 97. month 98. nice 99. woman 100. to abuse