Understanding Carl Jung's Archetype of Shadowing

Last week, our class discussion revolved around Carl Jung's Archetype particularly on one of my personal favorites: Shadow.

The archetype is probably Jung's most difficult concept. Archetypes for Jung are inherited predispositions that makes a person respond to the world usually in certain and unique ways. They are primordial images, representations of the instinctual energies of the collective unconscious.

In Jungian psychology, the shadow or "shadow aspect" is a part of the unconscious mind consisting of repressed weaknesses, shortcomings, and instincts. These repressed needs, inferiorities and shorcomings are superseded during early childhood by the conscious mind. The shadow represents what we consider to be inferior in our personality and also that which we have neglected and never developed in ourselves.

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 by the individual. These projections insulate and cripple individuals by forming an ever thicker fog of illusion between the ego and the real world.

When applied the SHADOW archetype to relationships, the example of its expression is perfectly illustrated by the psyche of jealousy and bitterness. Life is made up of many expectations! We entertain expectations in every area of life from
the time we are children.When people dont come up with the expectations set by the self and the society, thats where problems come in. The shadow becomes bigger and prominent. We maximize our failure in our mind creating insecurities. Insecurities magnifies the shadow self. This insecurity later on leads to bitterness if not handled and resolved well. Our expectations can become so-out-of kilter, and so unreasonable. Yet we are not even aware of what mentally we are demanding of life and from others. I think unfulfilled expectations is the number one reason why people become bitter. Actually, we are all probably bitter or angered at some point but there are a lot of people who makes bitterness part of their personality profile.

Dissecting the profile of these people--they fit this frame: they are cynical at work and unappreciative of how they have been blessed and they resent the successes of others. Why? Because most of the time--what they see in others (success) are their unconscious needs for themselves. Unconsiously--they have "ideals" for the SELF--but most of the time, these ideals do not translate to realities ...so when these "ideals" become real in other people--they start to resent. They start to backbite. They start to gossip. These are all part of their coping (unconsciously)---to frustrations and insecurities.When they face their shadow--alive and kicking, they start to ask: "that's what I want to be for myself--but why why can't I be like that?"..so resentment comes in.Bitterness only results whenever somebody's better at something that the other is not.



Its funny how simple theories can put words and cognitively align with human experiences.