Published on May 25, 2012
Excerpt from Man & His Symbols (Audiobook) by Carl G. Jung on the shadow aspect of the psyche.
In Jungian psychology, the shadow or "shadow aspect" may refer to the
entirety of the unconscious, i.e., everything of which a person is not
fully conscious, or an unconscious aspect of the personality which the
conscious ego does not recognize in itself. Because one tends to reject
or remain ignorant of the least desirable aspects of one's personality,
the shadow is largely negative. There are, however, positive aspects
which may also remain hidden in one's shadow (especially in people with
low self-esteem). Contrary to a Freudian conceptualization of shadow,
therefore, the Jungian shadow often refers to all that lies outside the
light of consciousness, and may be positive or negative. "Everyone
carries a shadow," Jung wrote, "and the less it is embodied in the
individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is." It may be
(in part) one's link to more primitive animal instincts, which are
superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind.
According to Jung, the shadow, in being instinctive and irrational, is prone to
projection: turning a personal inferiority into a perceived moral
deficiency in someone else. Jung writes that if these projections are
unrecognized "The projection-making factor (the Shadow archetype) then
has a free hand and can realize its object--if it has one--or bring
about some other situation characteristic of its power." These
projections insulate and cripple individuals by forming an ever thicker
fog of illusion between the ego and the real world.
Music: "Shadow" by Brian Eno & "Heard from Telegraph Lines" by Boards of Canada
In Jungian psychology, the shadow or "shadow aspect" may refer to the
entirety of the unconscious, i.e., everything of which a person is not
fully conscious, or an unconscious aspect of the personality which the
conscious ego does not recognize in itself. Because one tends to reject
or remain ignorant of the least desirable aspects of one's personality,
the shadow is largely negative. There are, however, positive aspects
which may also remain hidden in one's shadow (especially in people with
low self-esteem). Contrary to a Freudian conceptualization of shadow,
therefore, the Jungian shadow often refers to all that lies outside the
light of consciousness, and may be positive or negative. "Everyone
carries a shadow," Jung wrote, "and the less it is embodied in the
individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is." It may be
(in part) one's link to more primitive animal instincts, which are
superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind.
According to Jung, the shadow, in being instinctive and irrational, is prone to
projection: turning a personal inferiority into a perceived moral
deficiency in someone else. Jung writes that if these projections are
unrecognized "The projection-making factor (the Shadow archetype) then
has a free hand and can realize its object--if it has one--or bring
about some other situation characteristic of its power." These
projections insulate and cripple individuals by forming an ever thicker
fog of illusion between the ego and the real world.
Music: "Shadow" by Brian Eno & "Heard from Telegraph Lines" by Boards of Canada
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