MAP OF THE SOUL & BTS: What are we talking about and how did it start?
First of all, I believe it’s essential to point out that everything that will be said (or rather, written) from here on consists of:
➡️ Personal theories and interpretations based on studies I have been developing;
➡️ Questions raised by Dr. Murray Stein throughout his book, “Map of the Soul”, and his participations in episodes of the podcast “Speaking of Jung”, by Laura London (https://open.spotify.com/show/7ndyZNV5xYZxSYXhLzVpBl);
➡️ Other references to other books and works that might be relevant to the subject.
Maybe you’re new in this fandom, taking your first steps towards knowing what BTS has done and built so far, and you’re asking yourself: “What is this Map of the Soul that they talk about so much? SOS”. Well, “Map of the Soul”, first of all, is the name of the series of albums that the group has been developing since the first half of 2019. We have already been through “Map of the Soul: Persona” (2019), “Map of the Soul : 7” (2020) and, more recently, “Map of the Soul: 7 ~ The Journey” (2020).
Undoubtedly, this current sequence of albums, as well as the previous ones, is composed of absolutely fantastic songs, with an impressive variety of rhythms and emotions that are jaw-dropping. But here’s a secret: when it comes to BTS, my friend, we can and should always go deeper. Why? Because the existence of BTS itself challenges our semiotics logic. Allow me to explain it a little better. “Semiotics” is a field of study that applies to deciphering phenomena of meaning and representation in human communication. Looking at the arts, cultures and, especially, the forms of entertainment that surround us today, especially in the Western world, it’s not difficult to see how we are generally exposed to an excessive simplification of semiotics and superficial expressions, which are more concerned with the conventional measures of “success” in the market and with the maintenance of static standards and values. However, from time to time, there are artists who rise not only to shake the structures of the music industry but above all to build such deep and complex meanings from their productions that they’re able to shake up a whole generation and awaken immeasurable transformations, whether collective or individual. BTS is one such case. Through its multiplicity of artistic expressions — singing, dance, iconography, acting, literature, games, among many others — and, mainly, through the philosophical, psychological, historical, mythological, cultural bases that come together as the foundation of their works, the group opens the doors of imagination and intellectuality to the possibility of building meanings that escape superficiality and take us to the depths of life, the world and ourselves.
After the “Love Yourself” era unfolded, BTS reached a decisive point to move towards a more complex and intense maturation and, thus, we arrived at “Map of the Soul”, an era in which I believe we will remain for some time.
To begin with, “Map of the Soul” is actually the name of a book originally published in 1998 by Dr. Murray Stein. In this work, the author will detail, in the simplest and most didactic way possible, the theories of a great theorist in the field of Psychology: Carl Jung. Keep that name in mind, you’ll probably see it a lot through your Twitter timeline! This is what Stein said about Jung in his book description: “While scientists and astronauts explored and charted the physical universe, Carl Jung and the analytical psychologists who followed his work began to map the inner world of the human psyche.” In this way, it is the processes and elements of this sea of mysteries of the human psyche, presented by these theorists, that started to give life to what represents “Map of the Soul” on BTS.
As I said at the beginning, we’ve gone through 3 albums in this era. However, in “Map of the Soul: 7 ~ The Journey”, we actually have most of the songs ‘only’ translated into Japanese. Therefore, I will stick more to “Persona” and “7”, in an attempt to present you, in a simple and summarized way, this universe of Psychology that the group has been exploring. We are well aware that, until the end of this year, we’ll have a special concert entitled “Map of the Soul ON: E” and another comeback that will certainly continue all that we have seen and heard.
Before proceeding specifically to the songs, MVs and concepts, I’d just like to quote a few phrases brought up by Dr. Stein in the introductory chapter of his book about what this map that we started to explore would be and that, perhaps, are essential for not only to understand, but to also allow this process to transform us (*The pages that are going to be referenced belong to the edition I read in Portuguese — 5th edition / 2006).
“From all of this study and experience, then, Jung drew up a map of the human soul. It is a map that describes the psyche in all of its dimensions, and it also tries to explain its internal dynamics. […] it is the map of a mystery that cannot be ultimately captured in rational terms and categories. It is a map of a living, mercurial thing, the psyche.” (STEIN, 2006, p. 15)
“In reading Jung, also, one needs to keep in mind that the map is not the territory. Knowledge of the map is not the same as an experience of the deep psyche.” (STEIN, 2006, p. 15)
Well, here we go. Where did the “Map of the Soul” era begin? It was on March 27, 2019, with the Comeback Trailer “Persona”. It’s a very dynamic and powerful video, both because of Namjoon’s attitude and because of the words being sung or even because of the scenarios. One of the most striking points, perhaps, is the blackboard that appears in the background with dozens of words and phrases and ALL of them refer to Carl Jung’s theories. “Persona”, “Ego”, “Shadow” are more prominent there, but we also see phrases like “I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become”, by Jung himself. In addition, the lyrics of this song are absolutely incredible and clear about the message they want to convey. You can see some examples in these verses:
“ ‘Who am I?’, a question that I’ve been asking myself for my whole life “
“ The world is actually not interested at all in my clumsiness “
“ So, I’m asking you again / Who the hell am I? / Tell me all your names, baby “
“ The ‘me’ who I created by myself to speak my mind / Yeah, I might have been deceiving myself, I might have been lying / But, I’m not ashamed of it, this is the map of my soul “
The general theme here is the PERSONA, one of the structures of the human psyche according to Jung. The persona, according to Dr. Stein’s book, “is named after the Roman term for an actor’s mask. It is the face we wear to meet the social world around us.” (STEIN, 2006, p. 98) In addition, “the persona is the person that we become as a result of acculturation, education, and adaptation to our physical and social environments.” (STEIN, 2006, p. 101) For this reason, “the persona is a functional complex whose job is both to conceal and to reveal an individual’s conscious thoughts and feelings to others.” (STEIN, 2006, p. 101)
To put it simply, on a psychological level, the persona is how we present ourselves to people and the world in different circumstances. For example, the way we act with our parents is not the same as how we act with our friends or our boss at work. This process is natural and is part of human coexistence. However, according to Jung and Stein, the problem would be when our personality ends up falling into total identification with this persona, that is, it would be like taking on and wearing a mask and forgetting what or who is behind it.
So both in video, as in the song, as in the group’s career, we know that there is RM and Namjoon — as well as for all members. For this reason, this first track has already come to raise this existential conflict in front of the boys: their personas. And, at the same time, it intends to provoke a reflection on ours. “Persona, who the hell am I?”
Finally but still on “Intro: Persona”, Dr. Stein points out, in episode 44 of the podcast I mentioned earlier, that Namjoon questions “Where’s your soul?” amid the lyrics of the song. This is a particularly interesting and important aspect because Carl Jung actually wrote a book throughout his life which he called “Red Book”. In this book, he portrays his personal psychological development journey, but the way the book begins is the point in question here: Jung starts by saying he found himself in a desert and there he called “Where’s my soul? Where’s my soul?” — as Namjoon also asks. He reports that he repeated this call until he heard an answer from a voice, the voice of a female figure with whom he starts a dialogue: the soul.
From the idea of this answer, we can move on to the second song — both from the album “Persona” and from the album “7” — which is “Boy With Luv”. In this track, according to Dr. Stein’s interpretation, it is as if an answer had arisen, as Jung had in his narrative. A response from the soul, represented and projected on this female figure, which also reveals the fundamental role of the singer Halsey for both music and MV. This response awakens a celebration of the transforming power of love and leads us to appreciate the little things in the processes we experience daily — as the original Korean title indicates, “작은 것들을 위한 시”, meaning “A poem for little things”.
Furthermore, when viewing the title “Boy With Luv”, it is impossible not to remember a song from the album “Skool Luv Affair” (2014), “Boy In Luv”. Dr. Stein also points out the very careful and specific use of the words ‘WITH’ and ‘IN’. When you are ‘IN LUV’ with someone, you’re basically possessed by an emotion and a projection that you put on the other person. It’s that young, uncontrolled love to which our ego becomes a slave. On the other hand, when you are ‘WITH LUV’, you are much more in control of the situation, which is a clear sign of an ego or a personality with a more mature posture.
“Love is nothing stronger / Than a boy with luv”
Okay, following the analysis of the album “Map of the Soul: Persona”, the third track is “Mikrokosmos”. Personally, this is one of my favorite songs of all times and of all the eras of BTS. If you saw me listening to it, you’d probably see a lot of smiles and tears because that is the inevitable result of that song. It basically carries a very old understanding that is: each human being is a microcosm that reflects the macrocosm — and this last one is the universe, the totality of all things, including us. Thus, “mikrokosmos” is our inner world.
Dr. Stein, also in episode 44 of the podcast, talks about a dream that Jung experienced: he dreamed that he had seen a star reflected in the water and understood that, in fact, he was the star — or microcosm — reflected in the water — or macrocosm. This perception that we have an inner world consistent with the totality of the outer world is essential, especially when we’re talking about the persona topic, because when we are stuck with it, we depend on other people reflecting our value and we do not have a perception of ourselves beyond what others provide us. However, with the perception and exploration of this inner world, we acquire a sense of value that comes from within. Check this excerpt from the lyrics:
“We shine in our own way / Shine, dream, smile / Oh, let us light up the night / We shine just for who we are”
It is an expression of a personality becoming free from the persona, from the identification with the persona. Each of us is a total individual but we are all connected to each other. We are more than 7 billion stars being part of a whole and our destiny is to become ourselves. This is the great discovery / breakthrough placed in “Mikrokosmos”.
The next song is “Make it right”. This MV is particularly interesting. It is, most of the time, an animation depicting the journey of a young man who goes through challenging and difficult scenarios and circumstances but who continues due to the support and the existence, once again, of this female figure. Of course, “Make it right” is for ARMYs, who have been one with BTS through everything they’ve faced. In addition, both the lyrics and the MV carry many references to the work “The Hero’s Journey”, by Josh Campbell — also very recurrent in relation to the Bangtan Universe. Well, this is a chat for another day but, if you want to know a little more about the idea of the hero’s journey, I suggest this thread: https://twitter.com/nwinter_bear/status/1269659514317537282
Analyzing the music and the video under Jungian psychology, the character is going through a moment of struggle and anguish in the middle of his journey — in this case, the journey to his inner world. Thereby, the female figure appears. I believe that a comment made by Dr. Stein in the same episode of the podcast is relevant here, when he said that we also discover ourselves in others and through others. In other words, we discover our souls in others and through others as well. Therefore, what is inside and what is outside end up kind of mixed and connected — as we see, for example, in the animation in which the female figure is, at the same time, outside the character (representing ARMYs, for example) and with / inside / on him (like when she turns into a cloak to protect him).
So “Make it right” is another fascinating song about this journey that we can go on board through the psyche. Therefore, Namjoon says in one of his verses: “Let me now open the map wide, the map that is you”. We are now proceeding to unravel the map of an unbelievable territory: the soul.
Next, in “Map of the Soul: Persona”, we got the track called “Home”. It’s that kind of music you should listen to on days when you need to feel better, you know? To feel happy and comfortable… I think this is a good description of the feeling that “Home” brings. About this song, Dr. Stein commented that he also found the choice of the term “MI CASA” interesting in the lyrics. They could have used other options like “my home”, “my house”, “my place” or even a Korean equivalent. Yet, “mi casa” undoubtedly brings an idea of greater intimacy, of coziness. So, far beyond establishing a place that is their home, the boys sing about someone who is their home — in this case, again, they are referring to ARMYs. BTS’ home is ARMY and ARMY’s home is BTS, periodt.
On the other hand, in some verses, the group brings an idea of ’ return’, as when they sing “But the door I exit because I have a place to return even if I leave now”. This can be related both to the proposal of the hero’s journey — as I mentioned in the previous topic — as well as to the inner journey — when, at times, we need to move away from some things, places or people while navigating through “unknown areas” to get to know ourselves more deeply. Oh! And, of course, the notion of ‘return’ also has a lot to do with the boys’ career and how they often need to move away from their homes in Korea to travel around the world on their journey as BTS. Nonetheless, they know that at the end of each stage of this journey, they’ll be able to return to their home — fun fact: the city where the members currently live is Seoul (the capital of South Korea) and the pronunciation of the city name is exactly the same as the word ‘SOUL’. Coincidence…? 😏
Okay, we’re now reaching the track “Jamais Vu”. Even before reading the translation of the lyrics, this is a song that definitely will get under your skin. It’s possible to feel the mixture of anguish, disappointment and also a certain amount of hope in the voices of Jungkook, Jin and Hobi.
First of all, ‘Jamais Vu’ is a psychiatric term that works as an opposite to ‘Déjà vu’, which is a more familiar term. ‘Jamais vu’ is a French expression that means ‘never seen’. So while ‘Déjà vu’ is to feel that something has already been seen or has happened, ‘Jamais vu’ is the feeling that something familiar is completely unknown. It happens when we are faced with a known or recurring place or situation in our life, but we have the feeling that we don’t recognize it. It must be a very strange experience…
Thus, combining this concept with the lyrics, we understand that this is a song about “repetitions”, as mentioned by Dr. Stein. A song about experiences that we face, but we don’t seem to learn from them. We make the same “mistakes”, stumble again and again and have to handle with the same problems again, as if it were the first time. Then, looking from a Jungian perspective, we can say that this song speaks, in a way, about what Jung called “COMPLEXES”. To understand what we’re talking about, I’d like to highlight this passage from Dr. Stein’s book that I really like:
“Imagine for a moment that the psyche is a three-dimensional object like the solar system. Ego-consciousness is the earth, terra firma; it is where we live, at least during our waking hours. The space around the earth is filled with satellites and meteorites, some large, some small. This space is what Jung called the unconscious, and the objects that we first come across as we venture out into this space are what he called the complexes. The unconscious is populated by complexes. This is the territory that Jung explored initially in his career as a psychiatrist. He later called it the personal unconscious.” (STEIN, 2006, p. 41)
A complex is an object of our unconscious “being made up of associated images and frozen memories of traumatic moments that are buried in the unconscious and not readily available for retrieval by the ego. These are repressed memories.” (STEIN, 2006, p. 55) Thus, the psychological reactions that we usually have in relation to complexes are exactly the theme of the song “Jamais Vu”. We get into the same situations and react in the same way, even though we know where this is going to take us. Each time is painful as if it were the first time and we regret it again. This is repeated continuously until an intervention breaks these complex cycles. Notice the verse on which Jin sings: “It hurts every time as if it’s the first time”.
However, I would like to draw your attention, as Dr. Stein did in episode 44 of the before mentioned podcast, to the verses that say:
“Remedy
I run again and fall again
Honestly
Even if this repeats countlessly
I’ll run again”
It was because of these verses that I said before that, in the midst of agony, it is also possible to feel a certain hope in the boys’ voices. It represents the determination that we must have to stay on the path of psychological development and our inner journey, even though we often fall. Fighting against our complexes is part of any growth and maturation process. Over the time, we may be able to recognize our complexes, name them and perhaps decrease the number of our “downfalls”. For this reason, something important that the complexes and “Jamais Vu” help us to understand is that the psychological life that exists in us will always be full of struggle in order to be growth. None of us will ever be perfect and it’s okay. What matters is that we become increasingly aware of everything that is part of who we are.
“I won’t give up”
And, finally, we come to the last track of the first album of the series “Map of the Soul”: the insuperable “Dionysus”. It’s an intense song of celebration for the rupture of the persona. To have a little more context, Dr. Stein explains in the podcast that Dionysus was a foreign god to the Greeks, as he descended from the northern regions and invaded Greece. In doing so, he came to represent a great threat since he shattered old values and broke people’s resistance. Dionysus was seen as a disruptor and was even called “The Loosener”. But, in the end, the Greeks managed to integrate Dionysus into their culture in such a way that they gave him a place in Delphi. Until then, Delphi was the space of Apollo, the classical god of the Greeks. The god of order, beauty and nobility had to share his temple for half the year with Dionysus and all that he represented.
Just as the Greeks incorporated Dionysus, BTS celebrates through this music this other side of our personalities for two reasons: first, “Dionysus” cannot be resisted. It’s like a vital force that cannot be stopped. And second and most important, it’s a liberation from the persona. We cannot be completely “Apollos”. We cannot ignore our Dionysiac side. We need to recognize and become conscient of both sides. Consequently, a new aspect of our personality can take shape and we can be more free.
“Drink it, drink it again / We are born twice”
From here, we will begin to dive into deeper areas of the unconscious of the human personality and continue to integrate them. This is “Map of the Soul: 7”, “Map of the Soul: 7 ~ The Journey” and whatever else is coming our way. Anyway, this mega analysis will continue soon in order to help you! Keep an eye on it!
*You can find Dr. Murray Stein’s full book in a free pdf file at this link: https://www.planete-coree.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Jungs-Map-of-the-Soul-An-introduction-by-Murray-Stein.pdf
