BTS (방탄소년단)
In early 2019, I noticed “Map of the Soul” trending on Twitter and wondered if it could possibly have anything to do with Murray Stein’s 1998 book, Jung’s Map of the Soul: An Introduction. I first met Dr. Stein in 2015 at his office in Zürich, Switzerland when I traveled there to interview Jungian analysts for this podcast. You can hear our discussion in Episode 9.
Four years later, we discovered BTS’s management company, Big Hit Entertainment (now HYBE), was selling Dr. Stein’s book, Jung’s Map of the Soul, in their online store. And on Apr. 12, 2019 they released the new BTS album, Map of the Soul: Persona, followed by Map of the Soul: 7 on Feb. 21, 2020.
Dr. Stein and I recorded several episodes together to discuss BTS from a Jungian perspective. The links are below. Each episode can be streamed or downloaded from the episode page or you can listen on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
BOOKS
Beyond The Story: 10-Year Record of BTS ~ Released on Jul. 9, 2023. Written by Myeongseok Kang with all 7 members of BTS.
Jung’s Map of the Soul: An Introduction ~ The original book by Jungian analyst Murray Stein, Ph.D., published by Open Court in 1998 ~ also available on Kindle and Audible
Map of the Soul – Persona: Our Many Faces ~ Vol. 1 ~ Includes a transcription of Ep. 44 ~ paperback editions available in Chinese, English, Korean, and Spanish ~ also available on Kindle and Audible
Map of the Soul – Shadow: Our Hidden Self ~ Vol. 2 ~ Includes a transcription of Ep. 53 ~ also available on Kindle
Map of the Soul – Ego: I Am ~ Vol. 3 ~ Includes a transcription of Ep. 54 ~ also available on Kindle
Map of the Soul – 7: Persona, Shadow & Ego in the World of BTS ~ Beyond summarizing the three volumes on Persona, Shadow and Ego in the Map of the Soul series, this latest book explores the entire BTS album, start to finish, revealing profound insights into the collective psyche of BTS. Paperback editions available in French, Japanese, Vietnamese, and Indonesian. Also available on Kindle and Audible.
Download a free sample of the latest volume in the Map of the Soul series from Chiron Publications: Map of the Soul – 7: Persona, Shadow & Ego in the World of BTS by Jungian analyst Murray Stein, Ph.D. and psychiatrists Steven Buser, M.D. & Leonard Cruz, M.D.
ARTICLES
In Search of Wholeness with BTS: How Jung’s idea of the “shadow self” inspired the world’s biggest K-pop group by Mimi Lok, The Believer, Issue 144, Dec. 13, 2023
How BTS Became One of the Most Popular Bands in History by E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, Jun. 21, 2022
BTS Gets It: Why the world’s biggest band visited the White House to speak out against anti-Asian racism by Lenika Cruz, The Atlantic, Jun. 7, 2022
HYBE & Bang Si-hyuk are Transforming the Music Business—With a Little Help From BTS by Raisa Bruner, TIME Magazine’s Most Influential Companies of 2022 (includes video)
The Spectacular Vindication of BTS by Lenika Cruz, The Atlantic, Dec. 16, 2021
The Triumph of BTS by Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, May 13, 2021
BTS: TIME’s Entertainer of the Year 2020 by Raisa Bruner, TIME
For Fans of BTS, the Only Thing Better Than the Group is Each Other by Marian Liu, The Washington Post, Nov. 30, 2020
Why BTS Runs the World by Eun-Young Jeong, Wall Street Journal Magazine, Nov. 12, 2020
Author Murray Stein Thanks BTS & ARMYs & Dedicates New Book to Them by Danielle Song, Koreaboo, May 19, 2020
Latest from BTS: Soul, Shadow, & Black Swan Chiron Publications Blog, Mar. 12, 2020
Jung Lovers: BTS delve into psychology on their album, Map Of The Soul by Mark Savage, BBC Music, Apr. 19, 2019
Dr. Murray Stein’s Jungian Analysis of BTS’ ‘Map of The Soul: Persona’ Gets Deep by Jamie Leeloo, Elite Daily, Apr. 15, 2019
Dr. Murray Stein’s Comments About BTS’ ‘Map Of The Soul: Persona’ Are So Insightful by Tara Martinez, Elite Daily, Mar. 25, 2019
EPISODES
Episode 42 ~ Jung’s Map of the Soul
Episode 44 ~ Persona
Episode 53 ~ Shadow
Episode 54 ~ Ego
Episode 55 ~ Seven
Episode 67 ~ The Journey
Episode 77 ~ BE
Episode Q18 ~ ARMY Help Center
Episode 92 ~ BTS at the UN
Episode 97 ~ Permission to Dance
Episode 105 ~ BTS and Typology
Episode 110 ~ BTS in Japan
Episode 111 ~ The Real BTS Dinner Party
Episode 122 ~ Beyond the Story: 10-Year Record of BTS
TRANSLATIONS
Episode 42: Korean | Vietnamese
Episode 44: Japanese
Episode 53: Japanese | Russian
Episode 77: Korean
Episode Q18: Italian
Episode 110: Japanese
CDs
Map of the Soul: 7 ~ The Journey (Japanese)
BTS, The Best (Japanese)
BTS OFFICIAL
@BTS_twt Official Twitter
Bangtan TV Official YouTube channel
HYBE Labels Official music videos on YouTube
Big Hit Music/HYBE Official website
Weverse Official BTS films and series
Weverse Magazine Print interviews
Run BTS! On Weverse