The Shadow Sheet Type – The Dark Side Of Your Psyche

According to Carl Jung’s analytical psychology, the shadow archetype represents the dark side of your psyche and personality. It is a tumultuous underworld in the psyche, where you store the most primitive parts of yourself.

The selfishness, the repressed instincts and the “uncategorized” self that your conscious mind rejects. This is the part that is buried in the deepest nooks and crannies of your being.

You’ve probably heard of this concept before. The idea of ​​the shadow archetype is a well-known one,  and psychologists still use it today to talk about confrontation. It refers to the feeling of internal conflict that you sometimes experience when you are frustrated, scared, insecure or angry.

But do not forget that the idea that Jung formed in his work with archetypes was already historically and culturally present in our society. The concept of a shadow or dark side is a common duality. It even inspired Robert Louis Stevenson to write his classic short story  Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Stevenson, of course, wrote the short story before Jung developed his theory of the shadow sheet type.

Everything that your education and the moral norms in society call “bad” is part of the dark side of your psyche. But it is not good to see this internal dynamic as reprehensible or dangerous. This type of thinking leads to you getting your own “Hyde” inside you, trying to get out.

Jung himself explained that there are different types of shadows.  He said that one way to achieve well-being, healing and personal freedom is to confront them and be aware of them.

The shadow archetype is closely linked to Freud’s concept of the subconscious. But it has a unique aspect that significantly distinguishes it from this idea. These unique aspects also enrich Jung’s concept. Do not forget that the intellectual romance between Freud and Jung eventually cooled considerably. So much so that Jung called the father of psychoanalysis a “tragic figure, a great man… but I can not agree with his therapeutic methods.”

Jung developed his own method – analytical psychology. He dismissed the couch and the asymmetrical relationship between therapist and patient. Jung preferred therapy based on conversation. He believed that therapy should delve into the structure of the psyche and the subconscious, where the archetypes exist.

Of all these archetypes  , the most highly therapeutic value was undoubtedly the shadow archetype. Let’s learn about the characteristics of this archetype…

The shadow: a known but repressed presence

• “The shadow” was a term that Jung borrowed from Friedrich Nietzsche.
• This idea represents the hidden personality that every human being has. From the outside, most of us seem to be good and friendly people (which is also what we think about ourselves). But there are parts of us that are oppressed. These are inherited instincts such as violence, anger and hatred.

• The shade sheet type does not only exist in individuals. Groups of people (sects, religious groups, political parties) can also have a shadow type. These groups can at any time show their dark side to justify violence against humanity.
• The more we suppress the shadow, the more destructive, insidious and dangerous it becomes. According to Jung, it can then “project” itself and appear in the form of neurosis or psychosis.
• Similarly  , Jung identified two typologies within the shadow archetype. The first is the personal shadow. This is the one we all have, with our little frustrations, fears, selfishness and general negativity. The other is the impersonal shadow. it contains the most archetypal essence of evil and comes with genocide, ruthless killing, etc.

You might find the theory of the shadow sheet type interesting. It has its charm, in its metaphorical essence, and a certain mystery. In this figure we see the reflection of what is normally taboo. It represents evil and the insidious side of the human personality that always arouses our curiosity.

But  is there anything about this theory that we can use in our daily lives?

Black is “yes”. Jung reminds us of this in his written work, in books such as  Archetypes and the Collective Consciousness. He says that  our task in life is to accept ourselves completely and integrate our “shadow” into our personalities. In this way we can become aware of and work with it face to face.

Ignoring it and letting it stay in the subconscious can deprive us of balance and the chance to be happy. Do not forget what types of things make up the concept we call “shadow”. There are our fears, our past trauma and disappointments that poison us, as well as the dreams that never come true because of our indecision.

If we hide all these inner demons, they will go wild. If we silence them, they will start controlling us. They will project an image of ourselves that we do not like or agree with.

As a consequence, we can forget that our  personal growth and our psychological well-being always depend on our ability to bring out these shadows in the light. When we make this courageous effort, the careful but valuable work of healing will begin.

Only then will we be able to find peace and well-being.