Marie-Louise von Franz was one of the closest and most brilliant collaborators of Carl Jung. A formidable intellect, she dedicated her life to the practical application of Jungian theory, applying it with unmatched precision to fairytales, alchemy, and number. She saw the archetype as a living reality, not just a concept. Von Franz famously analyzed the *Puer Aeternus* (the "eternal child"), a psychological state of refusing to commit to the "here and now," instead living in a fantasy that "sometime in the future the real thing will come about." Her philosophy was one of profound engagement: "I choose to be alive while I’m alive."

James Hillman was the founder of Archetypal Psychology and the most rebellious of the "Post-Jungians." He argued that classical Jungian analysis, with its focus on the Self and individuation, had become too moralistic and "workmanlike." Hillman called for a "polytheistic" approach, urging a return to the "underworld" of the psyche—not to "slay the dragon" and integrate it, but to honor the image for its own sake. He championed "soul-making" over individuation, arguing that the ego should be a "tourist" in the imaginal, not a hero seeking to conquer it. This rejection of a central, monotheistic Self put him in direct philosophical conflict with the classical Jungian tradition.