In the Jungian Model paradigm of the psyche, there exists various personified structures that co-exist and interact with each other in our inner world. These personified structures are called the four major Jungian archetypes: persona (related to the external world), anima/animus (masculine and feminine aspects of our inner psyche), shadow (the ‘dark’ aspect of our psyche), and the self (the unified aspect of all the archetype and the consciousness of the individual). This write-up elaborates on the shadow archetype and why it is important to ‘realize’ our shadow in the worldview of analytical psychology.
Jung exclaimed that humans have a light and a dark side and for one to be defined an opposite must exist. The light side is known as the persona which we portray to society and the dark side, called the shadow, includes aspects of ourselves that we don’t appreciate. These are usually unconscious although they could be very well made conscious. It can be connected to Sigmund Freud’s ‘unconscious mind’ which contains all of the repressed memories and thoughts which result in automatic responses. Bias and prejudice arise from the shadow. When an individual tries to become aware of his shadow qualities and impulses he denies it in himself but can see it plainly in others such aspects as egotism, mental laziness, and sloppiness; unreal fantasies, schemes, and plots; carelessness and cowardice; unrestrained love of money and possessions. Jung stated that upon being confronted with these qualities, the individual disregards them (often due to feeling ashamed) and convinces himself that nobody will notice it and maybe other people do it too. For example, in the workplace, we may think that we’re better than most colleagues, unintentionally look down on others; or experience overwhelming rage when a friend points out our faults. These instances provide us with an opportunity to confront a part of the shadow. Jung further states that through dreams one can become acquainted with these aspects of one’s personality that for many reasons one has chosen (consciously or unconsciously) not to look at too closely. This process is what he termed ‘the realization of the shadow’, suggesting that by becoming aware of one’s shadow and integrating it into our personality we tend to get closer to our authentic selves and become whole. The awareness and integration are described as the individuation process. In the work of Carl Jung, it is suggested that dreams are one of the main ways to achieve the individuation process as the shadow archetype is often personified in one’s dreams.
Upon understanding what the shadow archetype entails, we can look at how it might be beneficial to leadership development and in our own lives. Moral failures continue when there is a need for virtuous leadership. This gives rise to a rather instrumental approach to framing leadership as good vs bad and right vs wrong which is a simplification of the human psyche when we rather require a nuanced perspective. Seems like most theories of leadership create an artificial separation between virtue and vice, praising pro-social behaviors and traits while being cautious of the opposites such as narcissism. This generates a classic ‘thou should’; and ‘thou should not’ kind of mentality towards the rather complex human psyche, resulting in more guilt and a lack of understanding of human psychology. Upon viewing leadership and the human psyche from the lens of analytical psychology, we could encourage individuals and systems to learn the journey inwards to the sources of their less developed unwanted self (the shadow). Integrating our shadow, developing awareness, and the capacity to make meaning out of our shadow, we enable greater clarity, power, and effectiveness. Thus, it is important for various modern theories of leadership and systems to incorporate working with the shadow (Shadow work) to develop more authentic leaders, engage in healthy relationships, and avoid unhealthy conflicts with themselves and others. The reader can use these exercises provided in the research paper to incorporate shadow work in their own lives and also consider them as an asset in various leadership development programs.
Reon Michael
