Architectural Psychology
Space, Psyche, Enigma & Symbols
Chapter Ten
Architecture, as
it is understood in constructing simple human habitats, apparently appears to
be an uncomplicated act for the architect, but in fact a complex concern due to
the cryptic complexity of each and every individual, creating obscurity that obviously
makes it impossible that no single formula or definition can distinctively define
any design that could eventually enchant the exclusivity of every person. If the
intricacy of individual preferences emanates from the conspicuous conscious
mind, it could be communicated easily and effortlessly by the client to the architect
who design and build the space. On the other hand, each exclusive individual impression
amalgamate from arcane depths of the unconscious that is unseen, unknown and
mysterious to make it difficult for a person to articulate unambiguously the
required need, fashion and, pattern. Since the deep-seated unconscious has a crucial
chore in the inimitable individual’s architectural aspirations, the impenetrable
depths of human psyche need to be infiltrated
and for that, the knowledge of depth psychology is indispensable. Depth
psychology, therefore, penetrates the profoundness of psychic manifestations to
assist architects and clients to capture the aesthetic allure that which arises
from the sui generis psyche and its unfathomable unconscious and tries to
comprehend this complexity capitalising preternatural procedures of
psychological suppositions.
Depth Psychology is an umbrella term that discovers deep-rooted
inner motives of human behaviour by few schools or approaches of psychology. The
term was coined by a German professor of psychiatry Eugen Bleulerin[1] at the
beginning of 20th century. It has been used extensively to classify Freudian
and Jungian psychology that gives extra emphasis to the complex concept of the unconscious.
The word depth means that which lies below the conscious memory or
recollection of a person, that which is not obviously obtainable, available or accessible,
remembered or retrieved. In simple terms, depth psychology explores the lowest
point of every experience, the underlying unknown causes behind human behaviours.
Depth Psychology is all about exploring the mysteries of the unconscious as it manifests
through recurring dreams, impulsive images and surfacing symbols of the mind, sporadic
slips of tongues, hilarious touches of humours, consequential coincidences in
life and through many instinctual interactions, all that in life that a person is
not in control or unaware of. Moreover, it explores not only the individual unconscious
schemes and operations, goes further into societal and cultural external
expressions and internal interpretations, and the way all that affect the
psyche (mind). In fact, to explore this complex behaviour from a depth
psychology perspective, an interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary approach needs
to be employed; mainly, literature, arts, philosophy, mythology, culture,
religion, rituals and the other primordial praxis that transfuse the inner self
with inconsistent interpretations and meaning need to be considered.
(continued..... )
[1] Eugen
Bleuler, (April 30, 1857-July 15, 1939), is a Swiss Psychiatrist who is known
for introducing the term schizophrenia to describe the disorder previously
known as dementia praecox. He was an early proponent of the theories of Sigmund
Freud. He is also one of the pioneers in removing the belief that psychosis was
caused only by organic brain damage rahter it could have psychological causes
too.
