Editing Gnosticism (section)

==Psychological approaches==
[[Carl Jung]] approached Gnosticism from a psychological perspective, which was followed by [[Gilles Quispel]]. According to this approach, Gnosticism is a map for the human development in which an undivided person, centered on the [[Self in Jungian psychology|Self]], develops out of the fragmentary personhood of young age. According to Quispel, gnosis is a third force in western culture, alongside faith and reason, which offers an experiential awareness of this Self.{{sfn|Dillon|2016|p=28}}

According to [[Ioan Petru Culianu|Ioan Culianu]], gnosis is made possible through universal operations of the mind, which can be arrived at "anytime, anywhere".{{sfn|Dillon|2016|pp=28–29}} A similar suggestion has been made by Edward Conze, who suggested that the similarities between ''[[Prajñā (Buddhism)|prajñā]]'' and ''sophia'' may be due to "the actual modalities of the human mind", which in certain conditions result in similar experiences.{{sfn|Conze|1975|p=165}}