“We all walk in shoes that are too small for us.” -Carl Jung

We all grow and change over the course of our lifespan. Just as our physical body grows, so does our mind. Psychological growth has been described as a systemic process of actively learning and adapting to new ways to constructively function (Tedeschi and Calhoun, 2004; Ungar, 2018). Others have defined psychological growth as “the potential to cultivate inner potentialities, seek out optimal challenges, and integrate new experiences into the self-concept” (Baldwin & Landau, 2014, p. 163; Sedikides & Hepper, 2009).

Both of these definitions capture important aspects of growth, such as adaptation, as well as the development of innate potentialities. However, we can sometimes get stuck in our growth and feel stuck in our lives.

Feeling stuck is a common complaint in therapy. How does one get unstuck? Therapy can offer a broad range of helpful things, but the current zeitgeist is often focused on eliminating, reducing, or otherwise getting rid of distress. Most people probably wouldn’t stay in therapy for very long if they found no relief from their distress, so it make sense to address this from a practical perspective. However, what about feeling stuck even when symptoms have improved?

In describing growth in the face as psychological distress, Carl Jung writes, “I had learned to see that the greatest and most important problems of life are all fundamentally insoluble … They can never be solved, but only outgrown. I therefore asked myself whether this possibility of outgrowing, or further psychic development, was not normal, while to remain caught in a conflict was something pathological. Everyone must possess that higher level, at least in embryonic form, and in favorable circumstances, must be able to develop the possibility” (Jung, 1947, p.19).

Jung reminds us how psychological growth might be best understood as a process of transformation. He reminds us about our innate potential to grow larger and grow beyond the obstacles and the inner conflicts we face. He invites us to gain access to more and more of ourselves and develop toward a higher level.

From this perspective, when we feel stuck, we are being called toward transformation. In the short-term, we might have to use coping skills to reduce our distress and effectively manage life, but in the long-term we must trust in our innate capacity to grow ever larger than our problems.

Dr. Thomas Lindquist, Psy.D.

Licensed Psychologist

Contact: t.lindquist.psyd@gmail.com