Carl Jung is often referred to as one of the founding fathers of psychology. He's been called everything from a sinner to the person who helped revolutionized psychology. After dedicating more than half of his life to psychology he finally received recognition.

Carl Jung was born in Kesswil on Lake Constance in Switzerland, on July 26, 1875(1). He was the oldest and first surviving child of his parents. Two brothers died as infants before jung was born. Jung's father was a Protestant clergyman as were his eight uncles. His father was also a philologist (Unknown, 1999). Especially concerned with his father's failing belief in religion, he tried to communicate to him with his own experiences of God (Unknown, 1999). His father's disposition was an irritable one and he was often difficult to get along with (Nordby, 1975). His mother suffered from a neurotic disorder and often fought with his father, which made her inaccessible most of the time. When the child could not take his mother's depressions and his parents' fights, he sought refuge in the attic, where he played with a wooden mannequin. His teenage years were characterized by confusion and inquisitiveness, especially about religion.

In 1895 he began his college studies at the University of Basel. With the history of religion in his family the choice of a career was a difficult one. Jung seemed destined to become a minister, for there were a number of clergymen on both sides of his family. In his teens he discovered philosophy and read widely, and this, together with the disappointments of his boyhood, led him to forsake the strong family tradition and to study medicine and become a psychiatrist (Unknown, 1999). He began studying archeology, however his interests changed towards medicine and in 1900 he moved to the University of Zurich. He began his career in 1900 as an assistant to Eugen Bleuler at a psychiatric clinic at the University of Zurich. He also spent several months studying Pierre Janet, French physician and psychologist. He graduated from there in 1902 with a degree in medicine as a physician.

In 1902 Carl Gustav Jung met his soon to be wife Emma Rauschenbach. In the fall of 1903 he married her. In the time span of their marriage they had five children. She died in 1955.

Jung first heard about Sigmund Freud after reading Interpretations of Dreams in 1904. In the same year Jung sent Freud his publication Studies in the World Association. This was the beginning of their collaboration and their friendship. After a period of correspondence, in 1907, Jung visited Vienna to meet and talk to Freud. Both scientists stressed the effects of the conscious and the unconscious parts of the mind on the human behavior. Jung was eager to explore the secrets of the unconscious mind. By this time Freud had come up with his own theories about the unconscious mind. He believed that all unconscious expressions were hidden wish fulfillments.

As Freud and Jung became closer, they started to discuss theories. Although Jung disagreed with many of Freud's theories the still worked alongside each other.