Carl Gustav Jung is the founder of analytical psychology. It is interesting that while developing his theories and ideas, he often turned to world religions, occultism, Holy Scripture, and visited “places of power.” It was Carl Jung who introduced such concepts as the “collective unconscious,” “animus/anima,” and “shadow” into modern psychology.
Many argue that analytical psychology has revealed to the general masses the underworld of the human soul. Sigmund Freud first described the unconscious, which is home to complexes, fears, secret desires and sexual pathologies. And Jung spoke about the “shadow” - the stronghold of a person’s demonic energy.
First of all, Jung noted that the individual’s psyche consists of several parts. Its center is consciousness. One can imagine that this is a whole galaxy with “planets” - archetypes and the “sun” - consciousness at the center.
When we talk about a person, we mean a holistic personality, but in reality we are dealing with several subpersonalities.
In his studies, Carl Jung described these parts of the human “I” in detail. First of all, this is the Ego complex . Among the less significant ones, one can observe a father or mother complex, many constellations and archetypal images. If we take a closer look at a person, he consists of multidirectional attitudes that conflict with each other and create the basis for internal conflict. The most significant subpersonalities are Persona and Shadow .
Archetypes according to Jung
Archetypes, according to the works of Carl Gustav Jung, are a kind of library of images that is located in the sphere of the collective unconscious. Its contents are passed down from generation to generation. These images give rise to stereotyped reactions to standard situations.
All archetypes come from instincts. Therefore, their main task is survival. For example, the “enemy” archetype helps a child in the wild to recognize a predator and take the right actions - hide, hide, run away, etc.
It happens that we meet people who are unpleasant to us without good reason. We feel uncomfortable around them and want to run away. Perhaps this person fits our “enemy” archetype, and this is the reason for the reaction.
Jung identified three areas in the personality structure:
- personal unconscious;
- collective unconscious;
- consciousness.
The personal unconscious is everything that was previously conscious, but has moved to the level of the unconscious. The collective unconscious is inherited, like a package of documents with ready-made images and examples of reactions.
Personality development is based on the interaction between five main archetypal figures: self, persona, shadow, animus and anima, ego.
- The Self is the unification of consciousness and the unconscious in a person. The self is formed through the process of individuation, when certain aspects of the personality must be integrated. Jung often depicted the self as a mandala, circle, or square.
- The shadow relies on the instinct of reproduction and the thirst for life and freedom. There is a shadow as an invisible part of the unconscious, consisting of suppressed ideas, desires, actions, shortcomings and instincts of a person.
Jung wrote that the shadow can come into dreams and take on a wide variety of forms - in the form of a monster, a snake, a monster, Baba Yaga, a dragon, etc.
- Anima is the unconscious feminine side of the personality, and animus is the masculine side. This true “I” serves as the main source of connection with the collective unconscious. The combination of these archetypes is called the “divine couple” or syzygy. These images embody integrity, harmony and perfection.
- Persona is our ideal image of ourselves and appearance before the world. In Latin, the word persona means “mask.” The Persona archetype is a set of social masks that we use in different everyday situations.
The Persona's task is to protect the Ego from showing its negative side. Jung believed that a person can also manifest himself in dreams, incarnating himself in positive images.
Carl Jung argued that in reality there are more than five main archetypes. Some of them can overlap or combine with each other. Additionally, Jung described the following archetypes:
- Mother - consolation, calmness;
- Father - power, strength, authority, power;
- Child - innocence, longing for childhood and carefreeness, salvation, rebirth;
- Sage – knowledge, wisdom, experience;
- Hero – rescuer, protector, support;
- The enemy is danger, anxiety.
Power over archetypes
Awareness of the system of one's own archetypes gives a person power over them. In the ability to recognize and decipher archetypes, a connection is made between two previously separated spheres of the human soul: consciousness and the unconscious. This connection in Jung's theory is reflected in the archetype of wholeness or “Self”.
Interpretation and analysis of your own archetypal dreams and ideas is the path to personal development and spiritual growth.
Understanding the language of the subconscious gives access to the true causes of phenomena and life situations encrypted in archetypes. Awareness is an opportunity for a person to gain free choice. Only through awareness of the influence of archetypes is it possible to manifest individuality, which is not mediated by unconscious irrational motives. From Jung's point of view, individuality is the antipode of archetypicality. By demonstrating his individuality in a conscious choice, a person moves away from given patterns of behavior. In this way he expresses his creative essence. Individuation is the path of soul evolution. This is the path from being captured by archetypes to achieving integrity, when consciousness and the unconscious merge into a single core of personality.
Mandala is a symbol of the archetype of the Self.
What is Shadow?
Jung considered the shadow to be an archetype that was passed down to man from the animal world. This is a collection of passionate desires and actions, immoral and violent instincts that are condemned by society and often do not correspond to the ideals of the person himself.
During the period of personality formation, the child learns to understand what “good” and “bad” are. Over time, we create a certain ideal image, according to Jung - it is called Persona. This “ideal person” fits well into the norms and standards of social life: he is tolerant, successful, eloquent, has endurance and patience, decent and responsible. At the same time, internal content that can destroy the Persona is carefully ignored.
Most often, the shadow side of the personality is suppressed and repressed to such an extent that a person simply does not notice his negative sides. At the same time, a storm is brewing in the unconscious, which sooner or later will cover and deprive a person of self-control.
According to Jung's works, the Shadow is not considered the stronghold of evil in man. Rather, it is what creates it that is to blame: high expectations, denial of one’s own “I,” abstract ideals, living “someone else’s life,” lack of love and respect for oneself.
Shadow archetype is a collection of any personality attributes that we deny and suppress, and sincerely hate in ourselves.
Interaction of Shadow and Ego
Every person's ego casts a Shadow . This is fine. During the period of adaptation to the world, the Shadow absorbs emotions and desires that lead to moral conflicts. Without Ego control, these processes are hidden in the darkness of consciousness. The work of the Shadow is comparable to the activities of spy intelligence, when the head of state knows nothing about the dirty and immoral work of spies. At the same time, he enjoys the results of their activities, living in a safe country.
Analytical work with the Ego can reveal shadow processes and helps to realize them, but the Ego’s defense mechanisms work effectively, and only a few manage to overcome them.
The shadow never comes under the control of the Ego, it is an unconscious factor. Our Ego sometimes does not suspect that it is casting a Shadow. In describing this archetype, Jung sought to point out the shocking lack of consciousness that most people exhibit.
If we delve into the root of human intentions, desires and choices, we find ourselves in a dark area. We will see that our Ego in the dark part is self-confident, insensitive, selfish, prone to manipulation and perverted desires. What appears before us is a 100% egoist who strives at any cost to achieve pleasure and power over others. This negativity inside the Ego is the embodiment of world evil in fairy tales, myths and classical literature. For example, the character Iago in Shakespeare's Othello is a prominent representative of the Shadow.
The most interesting thing is that the Ego does not experience its Shadow in any way. It is projected onto other people, being unconscious. For example, if you are annoyed by a notorious egoist, the unconscious content of your shadow is projected onto him. No doubt other people provide "hooks" for shadow projection. Indeed, in strong emotional reactions there is real perception and projection.
The defensive ego always insists on being right and often acts as a victim or observer. While one's Ego makes a person a "saint", another person turns into a "monster". When working psychologically with your own Ego, you can learn to recognize projections and not create “scapegoats” .
How is the Shadow born?
At the beginning of civilization, people lived following their own instincts, impulses, and laws of nature. Today, emotions and desires control the norms of behavior in society, morality, and etiquette. A person is subject to many categorical restrictions and prohibitions. The Shadow helps to live with all this.
The shadow begins to form in early childhood, when adults diligently manipulate children, demonstrating all the imperfection and one-sidedness of the adult world. For example, if parents suppress a child or show injustice to him, the child reacts with indignation and healthy, natural aggression. But instead of apologizing and accepting that he was wrong, the adult humiliates him even more, yells at the child, punishes him or beats him. After all, you need to “respect your elders” and “shut your mouth.”
After some time, the baby will learn the lesson. He will stop showing aggression, although it will still arise. The child will begin to suppress it. All negative experiences will be pushed into the unconscious, which will be the beginning of the formation of the second “I”. Unfulfilled dreams and desires will also go there for storage: “this won’t bring you money,” “men don’t dance,” “do a normal job,” “you won’t make a living from this,” etc.
The Shadow takes on those character traits that are incompatible with the Persona and the Ego-consciousness of the individual. Both the Shadow and the Persona are actually alien to consciousness. According to Jung, Persona is a “public personality” that helps a person form a psychosocial identity. The Persona, like the Shadow, is invisible to the Ego. But the Ego accepts the Persona more loyally, since it does not contradict the moral standards of behavior in society.
How does the Shadow manifest itself?
The Shadow patiently waits for the moment when we are irritated, exhausted, or under the influence of alcohol/drugs, etc. It is she who pushes us to actions that we would never allow ourselves to carry out in a sober state.
A person under the influence of the Shadow offends loved ones, waves his fists, betrays his principles, speaks rudely, starts a fight, or steals something. After what happened, he becomes very ashamed, and this state is described as “something was found”, “a fly bitten”, “like something was replaced”.
Despite the fact that for some actions you need to stand in the corner of 3-4 lives, you cannot blame a person’s consciousness for everything. After all, he actually acts as if in a dream, when the Shadow overshadows the mind and breaks out of the “dungeon” of the unconscious.
Jung described that the Shadow tends to possess power over something, behave obsessively, and persistently oppose moral standards. So in this case there are several culprits - weakened consciousness, people who mistreated the child in childhood, the unconscious that broke out.
It is the Shadow that makes a person doubt his abilities, reminds him of helplessness, clumsiness, etc. On the one hand, the childhood scenario is triggered, and on the other, in such conditions it is easier for the Shadow to fight for power.
Following the example of Animus and Anima, the Shadow projects itself onto the people around it. Therefore, our hatred and anger towards someone is a failure to accept these qualities in ourselves.
Anima and Animus
Anima and Animus in Jung's analytical psychology denote the image of the opposite sex in genetic memory. Anima is the feminine in a man. Animus is the masculine in a woman. Jung calls this the image of the soul. It is in this image that people choose each other to build relationships and create a family. The image of the soul carries within itself the experience of all humanity, the experience of the race and the personal experience of a person in the sphere of relationships.
Anima and animus can take on a variety of archetypal forms, illuminating a positive or negative aspect of the personality.
For example, the feminine principle can be manifested in the role of a gentle maiden or an evil witch . The masculine principle can appear before consciousness in the form of a noble prince or a jealous tyrant.
The image of the soul influences not only the choice of a partner, but also relationships with the opposite sex in general. Who am I for my husband or wife - a “noble lady of the heart” or a “jealous vixen”; "knight" or "bluebeard"? Also, the manifestation of gender qualities in a person’s character, for the most part, depends on the individual archetype of Anima/Animus in the human psyche.
Anima archetype in the image of Venus - the goddess of beauty.
The Anima and Animus archetypes are dual, but their duality is in equilibrium.
The power of manifestation of one aspect gives strength for the manifestation of the opposite. For example, external demonstrations of strength indicate internal weakness. A strong woman who performs male tasks in life carries in her consciousness the image of a weak animus, according to which she subconsciously searches for an appropriate life partner. That's why women who are too strong choose men who are too weak. In general, we always choose those whose qualities reflect our inner nature.
