Jung word association test.

What is the word association experiment?

The experiment was developed by Carl Jung at the Burghölzli psychiatric clinic in Zurich. His early research was published in Studies in Word Association (1906). A stimulus word is presented; you respond with the first word that comes to mind. Alongside the answer itself, Jung studied the reaction time, the pause before a response.

Jung interpreted unusual delays, repeated responses, and difficulties recalling answers as possible signs of feeling-toned complexes: emotionally charged groups of memories and ideas. This browser adaptation measures the gap between a word appearing and your first input. A longer pause may be worth exploring, but it can also reflect distraction, language, or typing.

What does the test actually measure?

For each stimulus word, the test records:

• Reaction time: how long before you start typing
• Total response time: how long the full answer takes
• Erasures: whether you completely deleted and rewrote an answer
• First draft: what you typed before completely erasing it, if you did
• Keystroke count: recorded keyboard events during your response

The reading considers variation across your own responses, rather than assigning a personality type or a population-based clinical score. The pauses and revisions are clues for reflection, not diagnostic evidence.

What is a feeling-toned complex?

In Jungian psychology, a feeling-toned complex is a constellation of ideas, memories, and images connected by a shared emotional charge. Jung believed these themes could operate outside conscious awareness and appear indirectly in dreams, slips, and disruptions to word association.

Complexes are not necessarily pathological. They are a way of understanding how experience gathers around emotionally significant themes. This test offers a way to notice possible associations. It is not proof of a hidden complex.

After C. G. Jung, Studies in Word Association, 1906.

Abridged vs. extended: what is the difference?

The abridged test uses 24 words selected by The Shadow Map and takes about five minutes. It gives you a focused first look at your associations and timing.

The extended test uses 100 selected words across themes such as family, the body, relationships, loss, and responsibility. It adds a recall round: you see the ten words where you took longest to begin answering and enter the responses you remember giving. Allow up to 30 minutes.

Both are modern adaptations of Jung’s method. Neither uses a verbatim original 1906 word list, and neither is a validated clinical assessment. Jung’s own list of 100 words is reproduced in full, in his order, from his 1910 lecture.

What do I receive at the end?

When you finish, your responses, timing, and any erased drafts are sent for AI analysis. The extended version also sends your recall responses. You receive a written reading through a Jungian lens, plus the three words where you took longest to begin answering.

Not a generic personality type: a reflection on your pattern, the words that stood out, and possible themes to explore. The reading is AI-generated and may be mistaken. It is a starting point, not a diagnosis.

Both the test and reading are free. No account or email is required. For information about processing and deletion, read our privacy policy and your data.

If one word in your reading stays with you, the investigation follows a single pattern for twenty minutes, with an AI investigator. It is free and needs no account.