ABSTRACT
When Freud and Jung first met, a huge rapport immediately developed. The story goes that they talked virtually without a break for thirteen hours! Jung saw Freud as a father figure, his own father having died when he was young. Freud regarded Jung, twenty years his junior, as his heir-apparent. But a friendship that started so promisingly and blossomed for some seven years, nevertheless ended in acrimony, accusations, counter-accusations, and mutual dislike. Was the breakdown inevitable? Although it may not provide all the answers, one of the essential elements of counselling is recognizing the impact of significant events in childhood, our own every bit as much as those of our clients. Social background, relationships with parents, siblings, and other family members, and the established criteria for what constituted good or bad behaviour, success or failure, all play their part. As Aristotle said: “If you would understand anything, observe its beginning and its development.”
