When, for instance, a highly esteemed professor in his seventies abandons his family and runs off with a young red-headed actress, we know that the gods have claimed another victim.
C.G. Jung's exploration of archetypes and the collective unconscious reveals the profound impact of inner drives on human behavior. When a respected elder, like a professor, leaves behind his family for a younger partner, it illustrates the powerful forces at play within the psyche. Such actions often suggest a surrender to deeper, more primal urges that surpass societal expectations and responsibilities.
This scenario highlights the notion that individuals, even those admired for their wisdom and accomplishments, are not immune to the whims of desire and transformation. Jung implies that these experiences reflect the human condition's complexity and the inevitability of being shaped by unconscious motivations, revealing a duality between aspiration and impulsivity in our lives.