Dr. Dragana Favre is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and a seeker of the human psyche's mysteries. With a medical degree and extensive neuroscience education from prestigious institutions like the Max Planck Institute and Instituto de Neurociencias, she's a seasoned expert.
If we view evolution strictly through the lens of survival and reproductive fitness, one could argue that some psychiatric conditions are “evolutionary dead ends” in the sense that they can make survival and reproduction more difficult. If a genetic variation leads to severe functional impairment or isolation, it may be less likely to persist in the long run unless it provides some compensatory advantage. However, nature does not always select for immediate survival. Some traits persist in the population because they serve hidden or indirect functions.
A more nuanced view, increasingly supported by evolutionary biology, is that nature does not just “weed out” non-optimal variations, it diversifies. Psychiatric conditions, especially those tied to high pleiotropy (where one gene influences multiple traits), might not be mere malfunctions but expressions of alternative cognitive and emotional strategies. The same genes linked to autism, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder, for example, are also associated with heightened creativity, intelligence, and divergent thinking.
Some individuals with autistic traits excel in pattern recognition, logic, and sustained attention, qualities that have historically been valuable in fields requiring deep specialization. Bipolar traits are frequently associated with increased artistic expression and high energy output in manic states. Schizophrenic tendencies, though often debilitating, have been linked in some cases to metaphorical thinking and profound insights, qualities that, when moderated, may contribute to the expansion of human thought.
From this perspective, evolution might not be making mistakes but rather experimenting with a broader distribution of cognitive styles. This diversity could contribute to a more complex, adaptive society where different neurological profiles serve different functions. Instead of seeing psychiatric disorders as mere dysfunctions, we could view them as extreme expressions of genetic variability, some of which may serve social and cognitive functions. Evolutionary processes might not aim for a single optimized human type but instead generate a wide spectrum of mental and emotional processing styles. In this model, society itself becomes the mechanism that integrates and assigns roles to these different expressions.
This idea aligns with evolutionary models suggesting that human societies are strongest when they integrate a variety of cognitive and behavioral traits. Rather than eliminating all non-optimal variants, nature might be ensuring that a wide range of human potential remains available, even if some expressions seem maladaptive in certain environments.
A post-Jungian perspective brings a deeper symbolic and archetypal dimension to this discussion, moving beyond strict biological determinism to consider the psyche’s evolutionary process as part of a broader unfolding of human consciousness. From this standpoint, evolution itself can be seen as an individuation process, both on a species level and an individual level. Just as the individual psyche moves toward greater integration of the unconscious and conscious, evolution could be seen as a kind of grand individuation of humanity. The variations we call psychiatric conditions might not represent mere biological errors but different ways of engaging with the unconscious and bringing forth new psychic potentials.
Jung often spoke of enantiodromia, the tendency for extremes to transform into their opposites. Could it be that some extreme neurodivergences are part of a compensatory evolutionary movement, an unconscious attempt to bring in neglected aspects of human experience? A person experiencing schizophrenia might be immersed in the raw flow of archetypes, unable to contain them within the structure of ego-consciousness. Yet this same movement has parallels to visionary states in mysticism and creative inspiration. Could schizophrenia be, in some cases, a failed individuation attempt – an encounter with the depths of the collective unconscious that lacks containment? Autism, from a Jungian perspective, could be seen as a heightened engagement with inner order and patterns, often at the cost of fluid social adaptation. Could this be a modern manifestation of the alchemical stage of separation, where the psyche focuses inward, refining something that may later emerge as a new way of knowing?
Jung and post-Jungians such as James Hillman and Andrew Samuels emphasize the role of the Trickster, the outsider, and the figure who does not fit within the conventional structure of society. The archetype of the Trickster is often seen as disruptive but necessary for transformation, breaking old paradigms and introducing new perspectives. Could it be that psychiatric variations are expressions of the Trickster archetype on a biological level? Instead of thinking of them as purely maladaptive, we might view them as a kind of cultural unconscious breaking through, attempting to disrupt stagnant structures and force society to expand its models of reality. Hillman, with his acorn theory, suggests that each individual has a daimon, a unique inner calling or pattern that guides their life. If we see psychiatric conditions not as defects but as extreme variations of potential, could it be that certain genes and traits are attempting to push human consciousness toward something not yet fully realized?
Post-Jungians often use the alchemical metaphor to describe transformation. If human consciousness is undergoing an evolutionary alchemical process, perhaps these genetic variations are part of a nigredo phase – chaotic and seemingly dysfunctional but necessary for a future rubedo, the stage of integration and enlightenment. Just as in alchemy, where different substances must be combined and separated to create transformation, could society itself be the vessel in which different neurotypes interact, creating new forms of understanding and potential? What if we are moving toward a stage where consciousness must fragment, expand, and then reconfigure in a new way? Instead of uniformity, could evolution be moving toward a collective syzygy, a complex and dynamic interplay of different modes of consciousness, none of which is inherently superior but all of which contribute to the whole?
Rather than seeing evolution as a blind process of genetic selection, a post-Jungian approach invites us to consider its mythopoetic dimension. What is the story that evolution is telling? Could the rise in neurodivergence be part of a larger mythological arc, an initiation into a new mode of being? Jung believed that each era has its own dominant archetype and that transitions between archetypal dominants are often marked by crisis and disorder. Could the modern rise in neurodivergent conditions be a symptom of such a transition, an emergence of a new psychic structure? Perhaps evolution is not merely selecting for survival in a material sense but is also shaping the collective unconscious, ensuring that all aspects of human experience, from extreme rationality to ecstatic vision, are distributed throughout the species.
In this light, what we call psychiatric disorders might be something else entirely: a redistribution of consciousness across humanity, ensuring that the full spectrum of psychic and cognitive potential remains available for future individuation. What we label as disorder might be the psyche’s way of trying to break through into new forms not yet fully understood.
Dragana Favre, Psychiatrist and Jungian Psychotherapist
Dr. Dragana Favre is a psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and a seeker of the human psyche's mysteries. With a medical degree and extensive neuroscience education from prestigious institutions like the Max Planck Institute and Instituto de Neurociencias, she's a seasoned expert. Her unique approach combines Jungian psychotherapy, EMDR, and dream interpretation, guiding patients towards self-discovery and healing. Beyond her profession, Dr. Favre is passionate about science fiction, nature, and cosmology. Her ex-Yugoslavian roots in the small town of Kikinda offer a rich backdrop to her life's journey. She is dedicated to helping people find their true selves, much like an alchemist turning lead into gold.
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