Summary of Robert Moore - The Nature and Dynamics of Evil (Full Lecture)

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00:00:00 - 01:00:00

Robert Moore's lecture explores the nature and dynamics of evil, emphasizing the importance of understanding the combat myth, the psychology of evil, and the archetypal dynamics behind the human struggle with evil. He delves into the different spaces within the psyche and their purposes, warning against identifying with the great magician, great phallus, or great yoni archetypes. The lecture examines how expressions of evil can be seen in various myths and explains why understanding this is crucial when dealing with evil. Finally, Moore explores different psychological theories and their interpretations of the grandiose self or the narcissistic personality, emphasizing the importance of differentiating the ego from the archetypal self.

00:00:00 In this section, the speaker introduces Robert Moore and his background as a Union analyst, training analyst at the C.G. Young Institute in Chicago, professor of psychology and religion, editor of Carl Jung and Christian Spirituality, and president of the Institute for World Spirituality. The speaker praises the importance of the work done by Jim and Annette, and emphasizes the unique contribution of Jung's psychology. The speaker then explains the importance of the idea that the unconscious is structured and how this sets Young's psychology apart from other schools of psychoanalytic theory.
00:05:00 In this section, Robert Moore discusses Jung's view on the unconscious as a cauldron of energy that influences and determines the ego's life. The study of the deep structures of the human unconscious can help open up a geography of the inner world to recognize the predictable things in the psyche. Jung's psychology is a scientific empirical psychology of the deep structures of the human unconscious, and the archetypes are not Jungian, but human. Moore emphasizes the importance of understanding the combat myth, the psychology of evil, and the different psychoanalytic perspectives that can help recognize manifestations of the psychology of evil in psychopathology. Ultimately, he acknowledges that there are many ways to draw conclusions about the structure of evil psychologically and its theological meaning.
00:10:00 In this section of the lecture, Robert Moore discusses his work on psychoanalysis and ritual spaces, particularly the archetypal self as represented by the alchemical couple of the king and queen. He explains how this archetypal couple manifests itself in different ways within individuals, such as a warrior couple, priest and priestess, or pair of lovers. Moore then delves into the four different spaces created by the king and queen - lover, magician, priest/priestess, and warrior - and emphasizes the importance of understanding these spaces in couple therapy to effectively deal with conflict.
00:15:00 In this section of the lecture, Robert Moore discusses the different spaces within the psyche and their purposes. The king and queen space is reserved for world and family building and excludes others. The spiritual direction space is a liminal and transformative space which opens up when the psyche is manifest in specific form. The garden space is where intense love and vulnerability reside, and is also where individuals can become human. Moore warns individuals against identifying with the great magician, great phallus, or great yoni archetypes. Finally, Moore locates the struggle with evil in the warrior space, which is where the archetypal combat with evil fits.
00:20:00 In this section, Robert Moore discusses the importance of understanding the space of combat with evil in the psyche. He emphasizes that the warrior aspect of the psyche exists to destroy and serve the king and queen by defending the moral order against chaos. Moore suggests that losing the garden or engaging in marital conflict is a sign of losing touch with this sacred combat myth archetype. He refers to a new book by Forsythe called "The Old Enemy," which provides a comparative study of the combat myth, and recommends it for readers who want to understand the archetypal dynamics behind the human struggle with evil.
00:25:00 In this section, Robert Moore explains how in the deeper structures of the psyche, expressions in myth always show two thrones, not one. In ancient Egyptian mythology, and other primitive mythologies, two thrones, the throne of the conjunction, or the King and Queen, are always identified with a lot of archetypal imagery, such as the sacred tree, the cross of Christ, and the oxus mundi. Our experience in the psyche of the enemy is portrayed differently in the combat myth, but it is important to recognize that it is essentially describing the same space. Ultimately, the first place you encounter the enemy is within, and only then do you turn to encountering the enemy without.
00:30:00 In this section, speaker Robert Moore discusses the traditional expression of evil in human culture, detailing how it can be seen in various myths, such as Marduk fighting Tiamat, Yahweh battling the forces of Baal, and Christ versus Satan. He explains that this is simply archetypal psychology, ingrained in humanity's main drive, and must be understood in order to know what one is dealing with when confronted with evil.
00:35:00 In this section, Robert Moore discusses how warfare is built into the hard drive and suggests that our job as Christians is not whether we do away with warfare or not, but whether we engage in the real war or not. To understand the real enemy psychologically, Moore indicates that human beings have always known the evil that afflicts the human race wherever it's found as pathological narcissism. He mentions the importance of studying counter-transference and understanding more about pathological narcissism, identifying it as the enemy within human beings.
00:40:00 In this section, the speaker discusses the psychological root of human evil, which he defines as pathological infantile grandiosity. This refers to the high chair tyrant in the psyche, which expresses itself in recognizable forms and makes totalistic, perfectionistic, and grandiose claims on the ego. The two major structures that the human ego struggles with in classical psychoanalysis - the superego and the id - both have these characteristics and make grandiose claims on the ego. The id wants to eat and have sex with everything, while the superego makes grandiose claims for perfection.
00:45:00 In this section of the video, Robert Moore explores different psychological theories and their interpretations of the grandiose self or the narcissistic personality. He explains that according to Freudian theory, the super ego and id are the two expressions of the grandiose self, and the more successful an individual is, the more dangerous the voice of the super ego becomes. Robert also introduces Adlerian theory, which emphasizes the concept of the superiority complex behind the inferiority complex. Finally, he delves into the concept of the anti-libidinal ego in the object relations theory and how it operates to thwart satisfying relationships and make individuals want to be dead. He also notes that these theories provide a framework for understanding human behavior and are highly influential in modern-day psychology.
00:50:00 In this section of the transcript, speaker Robert Moore discusses the presence of destructive inner entities within the psyche that could lead to pathological behavior if not recognized and dealt with accordingly. He explains how individuals who have been through abusive relationships could have developed a pattern of self-sabotage, seeking out partners that will eventually hurt them again because of a fascination with abuse. The speaker then introduces Kohut's self-psychology, which identifies the grandiose self-organization as a potential enemy within the psyche that could take over and destroy an individual if not related to correctly.
00:55:00 other fails to differentiate itself from the archetypal self, which is a powerful force in the psyche that exists parallel to the grandiose self-organization that Freudians have discovered. In this section, Jungian classical theory is discussed, and it is stated that the ego must differentiate itself from the archetypal self, and if it fails to happen, it leads to infantile grandiosity, also known as inflation. The archetypal self is full of energy, and it is crucial to know when to take it off, as being excessively filled with energy can lead to hubris or pride.

01:00:00 - 01:25:00

Robert Moore discusses the nature of evil from a Jungian perspective, exploring the concepts of the personal shadow and the archetypal shadow. He explains the potential dangers of integrating the archetypal shadow, which can lead to pathological infantile grandiosity and possession by a spirit complex. Moore also emphasizes the importance of having a human community and a transcendent egoic source of goodness and order to prevent the ego from succumbing to evil. He suggests that the human ego alone is not capable of defending against evil and requires external support. Overall, the lecture provides insights into the psychodynamics of evil and the importance of balancing the archetypal aspects of the psyche for healthy growth and personal development.

01:00:00 In this section, Robert Moore distinguishes between the personal shadow and the archetypal shadow. While most theorists view the personal shadow as something that is disowned but not necessarily evil, the archetypal shadow carries an enormous load of luminosity and must not be integrated into the ego as attempts to do so can lead to the ego's destruction and even terminal psychosis. Moore argues that antipsychotic medication has made it less likely for people to display the kind of behavior often associated with the archetypal shadow. He gives an example of a student who claimed to be the second coming of Christ after attending a retreat and getting in touch with the archetypal self.
01:05:00 a conversation about evil in this section of the video. Robert Moore discusses the concept of possession by spirit complexes and the psychology of Satanism. He explains that there are different branches of Satanism, some more benign than others, and that some individuals who think they are possessed by Satan are actually possessed by a spirit complex that cannot be integrated by the ego. These individuals may engage in dangerous behaviors, such as animal sacrifice and even human sacrifice, including ritual child sexual abuse, which is a disturbing aspect of this movement. Moore emphasizes that the identification with archetypal evil can lead to total domination, power dynamics, and pathological infantile grandiosity, which is why it's important to support the ego in using these archetypal aspects of the psyche for guidance and fullness without getting caught in these dangerous tendencies.
01:10:00 In this section of the lecture, Robert Moore discusses the concept of healthy exhibitionism and joy in Christianity, explaining that it is an experience of knowing that the true God loves it. He goes on to discuss the archetype of the king in world mythology and how they dance the world into existence. He warns about the danger of integrating the archetypal self and becoming possessed by it, such as in the case of narcissistic personality disorder. While he agrees that there is a growing human consciousness that has less trouble with archetypal possession, he cautions against trying to resolve the conflicts of the objective psyche on an individual level.
01:15:00 In this section of the lecture, Robert Moore discusses the psychodynamics of evil from a Jungian perspective. He argues that the mechanism of human destructiveness is pathological infantile grandiosity, where individuals identify with the archetypal self in any of its forms. Moore emphasizes that human ego takes in energies that are not human, which results in inflation and the attempt to absorb energies that are not absorbable into the ego, leading to evil. Additionally, Moore provides various Jungian approaches to the evil, including identifying the presence of both good and evil structures in the archetypal self and the difference between the self and god.
01:20:00 In this section, the lecturer discusses different perspectives on the concept of evil. While some suggest that the self is the author of evil and should be integrated, others believe that the egocentric ego is the cause of evil. However, it is uncertain how much choice the ego has in its actions, and it may be possessed. Some atheists and empirically scientific individuals see a god image within but do not necessarily believe in God. It is unclear whether the archetypal self is only an image of good or if it also contains the archetype of disorder, which is a theoretical question. The lecturer suggests that human ego standing alone cannot defend itself against evil and can only turn to a trans-ego source of goodness or human community for assistance.
01:25:00 In this section of the video lecture on the nature and dynamics of evil, Robert Moore discusses the importance of having a human community and a transcendent egoic source of goodness and order to prevent being overwhelmed by evil. Without these sources of support, the ego can succumb to evil.