The Wall: Object, Image, and Processes in the Individual and Collective Psyche

Walls have proliferated over the past 15 years, and quantitative analysis suggests they are a global phenomenon meriting further attention. Walls are more than simply barriers made of stones or bricks; they are made of a variety of materials and are often equipped with surveillance devices and military apparatus to control the movements of populations at borders. This chapter intends to present a study of walls and fences of the world from the perspective of analytical psychology, investigating both the empirical and symbolic facets of the erection of structures designed to keep away (and/or keep away from) the Other or others. Limiting the area of investigation to contemporary walls, the chapter will proceed with a typology of walls that is neither exclusive nor exhaustive but facilitates deeper investigation of the phenomenon. Here is advanced the hypothesis that the wall results from the activation of a group archetypal defense of Self in the face of a perceived threat. Walls separate space and people with the intention of conveying an idea of safety, and while providing this sense of safety, they design the geography of our Selves in large groups. It is proposed that they do that through our bodies (i.e., through perception of images that stimulate our senses, particularly tactile perception, if a barrier is seen or even just imagined within a group).