Aging people should know that their lives are not mounting and unfolding but that an inexorable inner process forces the contraction of life. For a young person it is almost a sin—and certainly a danger—to be too much occupied with himself; but for the aging person it is a duty and a necessity to give serious attention to himself.

Jung contrasts the psychological tasks of youth and later life. In youth, energy is naturally directed outward—toward education, work, love, and building a place in the world—so excessive self-preoccupation can become narcissistic and developmentally stunting. With aging, however, the arc of life changes: capacities narrow, external ambitions lose urgency, and the psyche presses toward integration. Jung frames this as an “inner process” that contracts life’s outward expansion and makes inward reflection ethically necessary. The quote expresses his broader idea of individuation: later life calls for self-examination, reconciliation with one’s shadow and limits, and a conscious relation to meaning, mortality, and the unconscious.