The Man and His Shadow

Psychologists call the shadow of a person that part of his personality, that dark side of his psyche, in which negative traits are concentrated, and which he does not recognize, rejects and carefully hides, and not only from others, but also from himself. These are qualities that a person does not accept, condemns in other people, while not noticing, they are also inherent in him.





Starting from early childhood, in the process of education, certain traits and desires are suppressed or receded into the background. A small example is that parents say, "You can't take toys from other children." Naturally, the desire to take someone else’s favorite toy periodicals arises, but the baby suppresses it to match the image of a “good child”. And this repressed desire goes into the shadow. Thus, from an early age, a child learns to maintain a positive image and reject his negative thoughts and desires. Moreover, a “positive” image and a “negative” one are not objective reality, since people from different social circles have different views on this or that behavior. For example, most people condemn the clarification of relationships through abuse and profanity, but in some companies this behavior is welcomed and is a matter of pride.

As a person grows up, he learns to suppress his desires that do not correspond to his positive image. As a result, the shadow grows and becomes darker and thicker. This leads to the fact that at some points it begins to manifest itself.

How does that happen? Here's how.

I think in the life of every person there were moments when he made inexplicable for him actions: he could make a scandal because of trifles, for nothing to offend a loved one, lose interest in his favorite work, etc. And then I wonder how he could have done that. This is very similar to a steam boiler that can withstand limited pressure. Constant suppression of one or another quality, for example, aggressiveness, leads to the fact that at some point a person will react inappropriately to the situation – for example, will launch a colleague into a chair for the fact that he somehow looked at him in the wrong way. This is similar to how a boiler would explode if the pressure was too high.

This behavior means that the Shadow has grown to such an extent that desires, emotions, and innate personality traits have been suppressed so much that a person can no longer cope with it. During such periods, a person has a feeling that he is “twinned”, that he is torn apart by diametrically opposite feelings and desires. Often this leads to the fact that he begins to lead a kind of “double” life. For example, it can become addicted to alcohol and in a state of intoxication behave inadequately, thereby giving an outlet to their shadow desires. In this case, alcohol is a kind of safety valve between the worlds of Light and Shadow.

The shadow is a kind of vehicle between the two worlds of consciousness and the unconscious, and it requires attention. It cannot be ignored. As C.G. Jung wrote, “Everyone carries a shadow with him, and the less it is connected to the individual conscious life, the darker and thicker it is.” If bad quality is recognized, there is always a chance to correct it.

P.S. And remember, just by changing your consciousness – together we change the world!



Source: v-garmonii-s-soboi.ru/ponyat-sebya-chtobyi-ponyat-drugo/chelovek-i-ego-ten-2