Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung was curious to know why seemingly “good” people still continue to do obviously “bad” things. In his research, he coined the term the shadow, saying, “Unfortunately there can be no doubt that man is, on the whole, less good than he imagines himself or wants to be. Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.”
What is the shadow?
A person’s shadow is the dark side of the personality, the side that is not socially accepted. Some aspects may include envy, jealousy, rage, or lust. However, the shadow can be anything depending on the individual. It really is just a collection of traits that we are afraid to admit we have. Therefore, we repress them and try to pretend that they do not exist.
For most, the shadow comes from childhood. When a person is raised, their authority figure socializes them by telling them which behavior is good or bad. Good behavior such as generosity, patience, or creativity results in rewards or praise. Bad behavior such as temper tantrums, neediness, or rule-breaking is punished. Each person’s shadow is individually tailored because it depends on what they were taught was “good” or “bad” behavior, most likely stemming from their parents.
Despite being repressed, the shadow of each person continues to exist and manifest until they are addressed (more on that later). There are many ways that these shadows impact people.
Projection. As a form of self-defense, a person projects their shadow traits onto others. This is when an individual denies their existence in themselves but attributes them to other people.
Rationalization. This is when an individual attempts to justify certain acts or behaviors despite being aware that they were immoral.
Social masks. These social masks are the disguises that people wear on a daily basis in order to fit in. The “positive” traits that individuals falsely present to the public represent areas that they feel they are not up standard.
Shadow work
Now that the shadow is defined, I will dive into the different tools that people have identified to resolve their shadows. These methods explore a person’s unconscious mind to uncover its tendencies and fixations in order to integrate them further into conscious awareness. By integrating parts of the unconscious psyche into conscious experience, the positive aspects of these behaviors manifest as well. This practice is known as shadow work.
This is not a new concept or even Jung’s concept by any means. Many cultures have their own traditions of introspection and self-exploration. Some cultures used drugs such as ayahuasca in order to expand their consciousness and in Zen Buddhism they had “kensho” or “seeing one’s true nature”.
Similarly to how there are infinite shadows people can develop, there are also infinite ways to resolve these shadows. A few examples are writing in a journal, meditating, or seeing a therapist for more guidance. There are many prompts available online that can provide people with guidance if they are looking into delving more into their shadow self.
Great article Acacia, although I wish you had covered more about how to begin shadow work. Jung is highly regarded in the acting community and recently I’ve begun to read his last book, “Man and His Symbols.” This book takes a deep dive into the various archetypes and complexes in this subconscious and is a great primary introduction to his theories. One thing Jungian psychology highly emphasizes is working with one’s dreams to start on the path of individuation. In our dreams, our subconscious speaks to us directly, just in its own language, and the shadow archetype appears often as a character, and gives us more high quality information to work with than if we simply tried to take stock…