Few figures loom as large in the field of psychology — and beyond — as Carl Jung. The famous Swiss psychiatrist was not only the founder of analytical psychology, but his groundbreaking mental health theories also influenced the worlds of art, literature, religion, and philosophy. Born in 1875, in Kesswil, Switzerland, Jung immersed himself in philosophical texts at a young age. He eschewed his family’s tradition of joining the clergy and instead pursued medicine, eventually coming to work alongside Sigmund Freud as they collaborated on the development of psychoanalysis.

The pair eventually fell out, leading Jung to solidify the development of his own concepts of archetypes, introversion and extroversion, and the collective unconscious. Jung’s work extended far beyond psychotherapy: His exploration of symbolism, mythology, and archetypes have influenced artists such as Jackson Pollock and filmmakers such as George Lucas. In 1957, Jung began recounting his life story through a series of conversations with his assistant Aniela Jaffé. He continued working on the manuscript, which became the book Memories, Dreams, Reflections, until shortly before his death in 1961 at age 85.