---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What usually has the strongest psychic…"
description: "\"What usually has the strongest psychic effect on the child is the life which the parents have not lived\" — Carl Jung"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/carl-jung-274_authentic-self_what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-e_2811767.jpg"
---

#  What usually has the strongest psychic effect on the child…

![“What usually has the strongest psychic effect on the child is the life which the parents have not lived” quote by Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/carl-jung-274_authentic-self_what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-e_2811767.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/carl-jung-274_authentic-self_what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-e_2811767.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/carl-jung-274_authentic-self_what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-e_2811767.jpg)

> “What usually has the strongest psychic effect on the child is the life which the parents have not lived”

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Children are most affected by the lives their parents never lived.

**In simple terms:** Unlived parental lives impact kids.

Key Takeaway

Break cycles.

Themes

generational trauma psychology potential

Mood

introspective hopeful

Type

psychological philosophical

When to use this quote

- parenting
- education
- self‑development

Key Concepts

Analytical psychology family systems

Questions to Reflect On

- What dreams did your parents for?
- How can you forge your own path?

A Different Perspective

Parents may not realize their influence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Authentic self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authentic-self/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Parent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parent/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Psychic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychic/) [Psychics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychics/)

## Related quotes

> [“...what science cannot explain is the psychic effect of this 'mother of all plants,' the sense of the numinous and the spiritual world it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rak-razam/what-science-cannot-explain-is-the-psychic-effect-of-this-mother-of/)

[Rak Razam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rak-razam/)

> [ Those \[things\] that we encounter for the first time immediately have a spiritual effect upon us. A child, for whom every object is new,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wassily-kandinsky/those-things-that-we-encounter-for-the-first-time-immediately-have-a/)

[Wassily Kandinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wassily-kandinsky/)

> [The strongest of all psychic forces in the world is unsatisfied desire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/the-strongest-of-all-psychic-forces-in-the-world-is-unsatisfied-desire/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [Masses are always breeding grounds of psychic epidemics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/masses-are-always-breeding-grounds-of-psychic-epidemics/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Everything psychic is pregnant with the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/everything-psychic-is-pregnant-with-the-future/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [We are a psychic process which we do not control, or only partly direct. Consequently, we cannot have any final judgment about ourselves or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/we-are-a-psychic-process-which-we-do-not-control-or-only-partly/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [There are as many archetypes as there are typical situations in life. Endless repetition has engraved these experiences into our psychic constitution, not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/there-are-as-many-archetypes-as-there-are-typical-situations-in-life/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [No psychic value can disappear without being replaced by another of equivalent intensity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-psychic-value-can-disappear-without-being-replaced-by-another-of/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Even a lie is a psychic fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/even-a-lie-is-a-psychic-fact/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Colors express the main psychic functions of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/colors-express-the-main-psychic-functions-of-man/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [The underlying, primary psychic reality is so inconceivably complex that it can be grasped only at the farthest reach of intuition, and then but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-underlying-primary-psychic-reality-is-so-inconceivably-complex/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [I was very sheltered, very bookish and, basically, skittish about life. My parents were both older when I came along and they didn't do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/i-was-very-sheltered-very-bookish-and-basically-skittish-about-life/)

[Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/)

> [My parents are aging and there are difficult issues. It's strange to have children at the beginning of life and parents nearing the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-waldman/my-parents-are-aging-and-there-are-difficult-issues-it-s-strange-to/)

[Amy Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-waldman/)

> [Whatever I do in life, my parents always taught me to focus on that, and they never let me quit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-scerbo/whatever-i-do-in-life-my-parents-always-taught-me-to-focus-on-that/)

[Cassie Scerbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-scerbo/)

> [My current mantra is that sometimes we need teachers in our lives. I never had that in my life, parents and stuff like that;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-current-mantra-is-that-sometimes-we-need-teachers-in-our-lives-i/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Carl Jung

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [ The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Metaphysical assertions, however, are statements of the psyche, and are therefore psychological. Whenever the Westerner hears the word “psychological,” it always sounds to him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/metaphysical-assertions-however-are-statements-of-the-psyche-and-are/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Like the sea itself, the unconscious yields an endless and self-replenishing abundance of creatures, a wealth beyond our fathoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/like-the-sea-itself-the-unconscious-yields-an-endless-and-self/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Synchronicity reveals the meaningful connections between the subjective and objective world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/synchronicity-reveals-the-meaningful-connections-between-the/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Instinct is like Nature herself - prodigiously conservative, and yet transcending her own historical conditions in her acts of creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/instinct-is-like-nature-herself-prodigiously-conservative-and-yet/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Paul hardly ever allows the real Jesus of Nazareth to get a word in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/paul-hardly-ever-allows-the-real-jesus-of-nazareth-to-get-a-word-in/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [“He would have lived countless times over the life of the individual, of the family, tribe and people, and he would possess the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/he-would-have-lived-countless-times-over-the-life-of-the-individual/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [People learn from who we are, rather than what we say, and to believe otherwise is a disease of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/people-learn-from-who-we-are-rather-than-what-we-say-and-to-believe/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Neurosis is an inner cleavage-the state of being at war with oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/neurosis-is-an-inner-cleavage-the-state-of-being-at-war-with-oneself/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [It is sad but unfortunately true that man learns nothing from history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/it-is-sad-but-unfortunately-true-that-man-learns-nothing-from-history/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

> [Life is a luminous pause between two mysteries that are yet one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/life-is-a-luminous-pause-between-two-mysteries-that-are-yet-one/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Explore all 775 Carl Jung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

## More Authentic self quotes

> [Sometimes being your most authentic self involves accepting others for who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-the-drag-queen/sometimes-being-your-most-authentic-self-involves-accepting-others/)

[Bob the Drag Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-the-drag-queen/)

> [Accepting the reality of our sinfulness means accepting our authentic self. Judas could not face his shadow; Peter could. The latter befriended the impostor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brennan-manning/accepting-the-reality-of-our-sinfulness-means-accepting-our-authentic/)

[Brennan Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brennan-manning/)

> [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/)

[Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/)

> [“The biggest mistake people make when trying to be authentic is just that: they try. They see these role models of what an "authentic"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/the-biggest-mistake-people-make-when-trying-to-be-authentic-is-just/)

[Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/)

> [Representing the U.S.A. is one of the greatest honors of my life, and being able to do it as my authentic self makes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rippon/representing-the-u-s-a-is-one-of-the-greatest-honors-of-my-life-and/)

[Adam Rippon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rippon/)

> [I had no idea that being your authentic self could make me as rich as I've become. If I had, I'd have done it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-had-no-idea-that-being-your-authentic-self-could-make-me-as-rich-as/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

> [I met people on college campuses who were defining themselves as genderqueer to express revolutionary feelings, or to communicate their individuality; they were gender…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/i-met-people-on-college-campuses-who-were-defining-themselves-as/)

[Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/)

> [ We \[Facebook\] really believe in enabling people to be their authentic selves on the web, and enabling people to communicate directly with each other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/we-facebook-really-believe-in-enabling-people-to-be-their-authentic/)

[Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/)

> [Bring the best of your Authentic Self to every opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jantsch/bring-the-best-of-your-authentic-self-to-every-opportunity/)

[John Jantsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jantsch/)

> [“In spite of the horror, in spite of the tragedy, in spite of the weeks of sleepless nights, I'm finally alive. I'm not pretending.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-bass/in-spite-of-the-horror-in-spite-of-the-tragedy-in-spite-of-the-weeks/)

[Ellen Bass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-bass/)

> [I feel inauthentic at a party. ... Going to a party is a 'low' activity - the authentic self is compromised, fragmented - one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/i-feel-inauthentic-at-a-party-going-to-a-party-is-a-low-activity-the/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [I was raised by a woman who was her true and authentic self. So I feel like it's very important to put on for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-thee-stallion/i-was-raised-by-a-woman-who-was-her-true-and-authentic-self-so-i-feel/)

[Megan Thee Stallion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-thee-stallion/)

> [Our deepest calling is to grow into our own authentic self-hood, whether or not it conforms to some image of who we ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-deepest-calling-is-to-grow-into-our-own-authentic-self-hood/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The master in us all lives behind the masks and roles and wounds and beliefs. It calls us to live deep, full, radical lives.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-nordby/the-master-in-us-all-lives-behind-the-masks-and-roles-and-wounds-and/)

[Jacob Nordby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-nordby/)

> [Once you accept and rejoice in your authenticity, you begin to see things as YOU are. You begin to see the authentic self is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/once-you-accept-and-rejoice-in-your-authenticity-you-begin-to-see/)

[Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/)

[Browse all 245 Authentic self quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authentic-self/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "What usually has the strongest psychic effect on the child is the life which the parents have not lived",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Carl Jung"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-effect-on-the-child-is-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Authentic self"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-effect-on-the-child-is-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/carl-jung-274_authentic-self_what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-e_2811767.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/carl-jung-274_authentic-self_what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-e_2811767.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/carl-jung-274_authentic-self_what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-e_2811767.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What usually has the strongest psychic effect on the child is the life which the parents have not lived” — Carl Jung",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Carl Jung",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "What usually has the strongest psychic...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-effect-on-the-child-is-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/what-usually-has-the-strongest-psychic-effect-on-the-child-is-the/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
