114 Part II Psychodynamic Theories
to each of us. A physician is expected to adopt a characteristic “bedside manner,”
a politician must show a face to society that can win the confidence and votes of
the people; an actor exhibits the style of life demanded by the public (Jung,
1950/1959).
Although the persona is a necessary side of our personality, we should not
confuse our public face with our complete self. If we identify too closely with our
persona, we remain unconscious of our individuality and are blocked from attaining
self-realization. True, we must acknowledge society, but if we over identify with
our persona, we lose touch with our inner self and remain dependent on society’s
expectations of us. To become psychologically healthy, Jung believed, we must
strike a balance between the demands of society and what we truly are. To be
oblivious of one’s persona is to underestimate the importance of society, but to be
unaware of one’s deep individuality is to become society’s puppet (Jung, 1950/1959).
During Jung’s near break with reality from 1913 to 1917, he struggled hard to
remain in touch with his persona. He knew that he must maintain a normal life, and
his work and family provided that contact. He was frequently forced to tell himself
basic facts about who he was, such as that he had a medical degree, that he had a
wife and five children, and that he lived in Küsnacht, Switzerland, etc. Such self-talk
kept Jung’s feet rooted to the ground and reassured him that he really existed.Shadow
The shadow, the archetype of darkness and repression, represents those qualities we
do not wish to acknowledge but attempt to hide from ourselves and others. The
shadow consists of morally objectionable tendencies as well as
a number of constructive and creative qualities that we, never-
theless, are reluctant to face (Jung, 1951/1959a).
Jung contended that, to be whole, we must continually
strive to know our shadow and that this quest is our first test
of courage. It is easier to project the dark side of our person-
ality onto others, to see in them the ugliness and evil that we
refuse to see in ourselves. To come to grips with the darkness
within ourselves is to achieve the “realization of the shadow.”
Unfortunately, most of us never realize our shadow but iden-
tify only with the bright side of our personality. People who
never realize their shadow may, nevertheless, come under itsFictional figures such as Darth Vader and Voldemort are classic examples of Shadow archetypes.
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