APA Dictionary of Psychology

thought patterns, feelings, and traces of experiences held to be transmitted from generation to generation and to have an influence on individual minds and behavior. Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud both embraced the concept of a phylogenetic heritage (see phylogeny) but focused on different examples. Freud cited religious rituals designed to relieve feelings of anxiety and guilt, which he explained in terms of the Oedipus complex and his primal-horde theory. Jung cited images, symbols, and personifications that spontaneously appear in different cultures, which he explained in terms of the archetypes of the collective unconscious. Also called racial unconscious.