Robert Alex Johnson (May 26, 1921 – September 12, 2018) was an American

Jungian analyst Analytical psychology ( de , Analytische Psychologie, sometimes translated as analytic psychology and referred to as Jungian analysis) is a term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, to describe research into his new "empirical science" ...

and author. His books have sold more than 3 million copies.

Life and career

Johnson was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. He studied at the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

and Stanford University. In 1945, he went to Ojai, California, as a student of Jiddu Krishnamurti, an Indian spiritual teacher. In 1947 he began his own therapy with Fritz Künkel. He later studied at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zürich, Switzerland, where

Emma Jung Emma Jung (born Emma Marie Rauschenbach, 30 March 1882 – 27 November 1955) was a Swiss Jungian analyst and author. She married Carl Jung, financing and helping him to become the prominent psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology, and t ...

, the wife of C. G. Jung, was his principal analyst. He completed his analytical training with Künkel and Tony Sussman. He established an analytical practice in Los Angeles in the early 1950s with Helen Luke. In the early 1960s he closed his practice and became a member of St. Gregory's Abbey, Three Rivers, in Michigan, a

Benedictine monastery , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

of the Episcopal Church. After four years in the monastery, Johnson returned to California in 1967. He resumed his career as a psychotherapist and lectured at St. Paul's Cathedral in San Diego, working closely with John A. Sanford, an Episcopal priest, Jungian analyst, and author. In 1974, a collection of his lectures was published as ''He: Understanding Masculine Psychology''. The book became a bestseller after

Harper & Row Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

acquired the rights. ''He'' was the first of many books giving a Jungian interpretation, in accessible language, of earlier myths and stories and their parallels with psychology and personal development. Johnson also studied at the Sri Aurobindo Ashram in Pondicherry, India. In 2002 he received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

in humanities and a lifetime achievement award from

Pacifica Graduate Institute Pacifica Graduate Institute is a private for-profit graduate school with two campuses near Santa Barbara, California. The institute offers masters and doctoral degrees in the fields of clinical psychology, counseling, mythological studies, dep ...

. Johnson lived in San Diego, California, where he died in September 2018 at the age of 97.

Works

* ''He: Understanding Masculine Psychology'' (1974) * ''She: Understanding Feminine Psychology'' (1976) * ''We: Understanding the Psychology of Romantic Love'' (1983) * ''Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth'' (1986) * ''Ecstasy: Understanding the Psychology of Joy'' (1989) * ''Transformation: Understanding the Three Levels of Masculine Consciousness'' (1991) * ''Femininity Lost and Regained'' (1991) * ''Owning Your Own Shadow: Understanding the Dark Side of the Psyche'' (1991) * ''The Fisher King and the Handless Maiden'' (1993) * ''Lying with the Heavenly Woman'' (1995) * ''Balancing Heaven and Earth: A Memoir of Visions, Dreams, and Realizations'' (1998) by Robert A. Johnson and Jerry M. Ruhl * ''Contentment: A Way to True Happiness'' (1999) by Robert A. Johnson and Jerry M. Ruhl * ''Living Your Unlived Life'' (2007) by Robert A. Johnson and Jerry M. Ruhl * ''The Golden World'', Audiobook (2007) * ''Inner Gold: Understanding Psychological Projection'' (2008) by Robert A. Johnson and Arnie Kotler * ''In Search of The Holy Grail'', Video (1991)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnson, Robert A. 1921 births 2018 deaths American male writers 21st-century American psychologists Stanford University alumni University of Oregon alumni Writers from California Writers from Portland, Oregon Jungian psychologists People from San Diego County, California