If you’re always unlucky in love, constantly bickering with your partner, or find that you tend to lose the initial spark in relationships much faster than most other couples, it could be down to an incompatibility between your star signs.
Though the zodiac calendar has existed for many thousands of years, it really splits opinion around the world as to its accuracy and effectiveness as a tool for understanding people’s personalities. However, once past the surface level, there are actually a lot of parallels we can draw between psychology and astrology. The two coexist within the human psyche – the development of our personalities and how our thoughts and actions are influenced by these are key examples.
Most importantly, however, they can give a real insight into why we interact with one another in certain ways, and why some pairings between signs work so beautifully, while others will fall apart.
Here we will take a look at 4 surprising links between psychology and astrology, to show you how you can better acknowledge and understand your relationship dynamics based on astrology, but from a psychological perspective.
Astrology Used in Teaching Research Methods
At the University of Cincinnati, astrology is a key component in the introductory classes for students of psychology.
They use astrology as the lens through which they teach students in these introductory classes, and use it to show how to develop and test hypotheses.
This advances the students’ psychological and analytical skills, taking into account thoughts on human behavior, probability, and statistical significance.
The use of this framework as the initial introduction to various psychological concepts proves a strong link between the two schools of thought.
Psychology has an Entire Field Dedicated to Horoscopes
This might come as a surprise to some, but there is actually a whole sub-section of psychology that is dedicated to horoscopes, planetary movements, and how these impact on humanistic behaviors.
This area of psychology is part of the school of humanistic psychology, which holds analysis of, and understanding of, human potential, creativity, and free will at its core.
There have been some pretty significant studies within this area linking human psychology with astrology. In 1936 Dane Rudhyar published a book titled “The Astrology of Personality” which revealed that astrology is not there to predict future events, but rather to help bring order to our lives. The collision between the ancient understanding of astrology and the modern application of psychology completely transforms its significance in our lives.
Rudhyar also explains how the basis of all modern scientific understanding was originally born from astrology – it was a human fascination with the stars and planets which lead to the development of scientific theories and concepts to better understand them.
With such a historic bond between the two schools, it is undeniable that they are linked with one another and can inform one another.
Some of Carl Jung’s Theories Were Based in Astrology
Jung is widely considered to be one of the founding fathers of modern analytical psychology. He founded the idea that there are four psychological personality types which he called thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuition.
These went on to influence what is now the most commonly used and respected personality test – the Myers-Brigg Type Indicator (MBTI). This test takes Jung’s work on personalities and provides an applicable, modern analysis and explanation of them.
The four primary psychological types actually have their roots in the four unique elements which split the astrological calendar into four; Earth, Fire, Water, and Air. Each of these types’ distinct traits corresponds perfectly with Jung’s theorized traits, influencing our daily behaviors.
This understanding goes on to show how, though it seems individuals make a series of random decisions every single day, these decisions have a correlation based on defined personality types. From this, we can see how the different element types will interact with one another in very different ways. Psychologically speaking, some people will simply never getalong well with each other.
Transpersonal Psychology
This subset of psychology can be thought of as a kind of ‘spiritual psychology’ which integrates the transcendental aspects of the human experience – such as altered states of consciousness and mystical experiences – with modern psychology.
It challenges the more materialistic assumptions of modern approaches to understanding the human mind, and instead puts forward evidence of a connection between planetary alignments and patterns of human behavior throughout history.
By combining a modern understanding of the human psyche with a traditional understanding of the universe and the impact the stars and planets have on individuals in the human race, practitioners are able to better understand what drives humans to make specific choices in life, as well as their role in the greater cosmos.
Personality Pairings
By approaching the zodiac calendar from a psychological perspective, it quickly becomes clear that both have a large influence in our lives.
Not only in the way in which we develop our own personalities and sense of self, but also in how we interact with each other, how our relationships start (or sadly, end), and how throughout history the planets have greatly influenced the human behaviors of entire generations on a very psychological level.
Sources:
Horoscope Compatibility: 5 Psychological Reasons To Believe!
https://books.google.ca/books?id=icF5AgAAQBAJ&pg=PA197&lpg=PA197&dq=astrology+cincinnati+psychology&source=bl&ots=yotevSSXpR&sig=TBnGTqIt73XJ0kS16lxzdHock9o&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjHuf6RxJbOAhVK9YMKHWBjAh0Q6AEIJjAC#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://www.beyondsunsigns.com/rudhyaraudioastrology.html
http://www.iaap.org/resources/academic-resources/abstracts-of-the-collected-works/47-abstracts-vol-6-psychological-types.html
http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/