Psychoanalytic Symbolism of the Ukrainian Folk Tale (From the Theory of K. G. Jung to the Practice of Social Work)

The fairy tale, despite the antiquity of its origin, or precisely because of it, remains relevant at all times, in particular in connection with the ways and means of solving difficult life circumstances clearly outlined in it, which have currently acquired a total scale in Ukraine, immersed in the rf border situation of war. After all, the Ukrainian folk tale is a container of both symbols that require philosophical reflection and concrete solutions to urgent social problems, the minimization/overcoming of which is aimed at the professional activity of social work specialists. A fairy tale is a repository of archetypes of the collective unconscious, the symbolism of which needs its own awareness. In this regard, the object of this study is a Ukrainian folk tale, and the goal is to analyze the specifics of the image of the Old Man (Grandfather) and his activities, which are always directly related to overcoming difficult life circumstances of the main character. The research is carried out at the intersection of two aspects - psychoanalysis and social work. It is noted that the Swiss psychiatrist emphasizes the actualization in difficult life circumstances of the potential internally hidden in each person, which directly contains the archetypes of the collective unconscious, in particular the archetype of the Spirit (Animus), or «old sage». During the research, the following important points were clarified. First, according to the views of K. G. Jung, at the moment when the fairy-tale hero is experiencing the «peak» of a difficult life circumstance, advice and help comes from the Old Man-Magician, which is a form of personified thought, since the ability for self-reflection and acceptance of wise words is inherent in human nature decisions, in particular those made taking into account moral principles. Secondly, in the case when the hero is not capable of self-reflection and has not yet acquired wisdom, in particular due to clouding of the mind caused by illness, short years, lack of life experience, etc., advice and help is provided by specialists in social work, the functions of which, in my opinion, are performed by the fabulous Elders, who are always Wizards for the needy. In the future, this article will serve as a psychoanalytic basis for the study of Ukrainian folk tales from the standpoint of K. G. Jung’s teachings on the phenomenology of the spirit in fairy tales and will contribute to the formation of a positive the image of a specialist in social work.