Shadow work a complete guide

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WORK: A COMPLETE GUIDE
This complete Shadow Work Guide reveals Carl Jung's interpretation of the Shadow,
including powerful shadow work exercises and insights to discovering your darker,
hidden half.
SHADOW WORK: CONNECTING AND INTEGRATING
WITH YOUR SUPPRESSED SELF
Overview: This in-depth guide dissects the complete Shadow Work process,
guiding you through an exhaustive list of shadow work exercises, techniques, and
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other related information for you to implement shadow work into your life almost
immediately.
Table of Contents
● Introduction To Shadow Work
● Deepening One's Understanding of Oneself With Shadow Work
○ First Way: Distancing Oneself – William Luijpen’s Subjectivity and
Freedom
■ Shadow Work Exercise: Distancing
○ Second Way: Understanding One’s Self With The Help Of Others:
Freudian Psychoanalysis
■ Shadow Work Exercise: Psychosexual Development Theory
○ Third way: Analyzing oneself – Karen Horney’s Self-Analysis
■ Shadow Work Exercise: Horney’s Psychoanalytic Theory
○ Fourth Way: Jungian Dream Analysis
■ Shadow Work Exercise: Dream Analysis
● Improving Social Awareness Through Shadow Work
○ Detaching From Public Opinion: Kierkegaard’s Individual vs. Crowd
○ Detaching From One’s Environment: B.F. Skinner’s Determinism
■ Shadow Work Exercise: B.F. Skinner’s Operant Conditioning
○ Defying External Factors – Victor Frankl’s Will to Meaning
■ Man’s Search for Meaning
● Harnessing Spiritual Powers With Shadow Work
○ Harnessing the Power of Mind: Meditation
○ Harnessing the Power of the Earth: Healing Crystals
○ Harnessing the Power of Energies: Chakra Healing
○ Harnessing the Power of the Universe: Om
● Final Word
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INTRODUCTION TO SHADOW WORK
The shadow plays a significant role in our everyday lives, influencing our
decision-making process by manifesting tendencies that we repress or even
resent.
Shadows influence us and when we are unaware of them, they only become
blacker and denser. The thicker they become, the more uncontrollable they may
be.
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Even worse, the problem is that the shadow can take over, it can use the driver’s
seat and control our lives. It does so in a manner that we don’t even know about.
Even so, we have also witnessed that these shadows are not necessarily
negative. Rather, they are often misinterpreted and misused due to either our lack
of knowledge about it or biased perspectives against it.
Contrary to misguided notions, these shadows can even become resources of
renewed power and vitality. They can be aspects of ourselves that we never really
knew about and might actually help us. It’s all possible through the process of
shadow work.
In order to do so, it is important to recognize them so that we can integrate them
as parts of our personality.
In this Shadow Work Guide, we will continue the quest of understanding our
shadows by discussing practical ways of using shadow work, and the remarkable
effects it has on our consciousness.
It is important for us to look into these methods in order to fully utilize the shadow
to our advantage. By discussing them, we shed light to the various ways of
shadow work.
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This series will discuss 3 main aspects in our lives in which the shadow can be
dealt with through shadow work. It will give a brief description of each method, but
not extensively discuss them in order to maintain the brevity of the article.
The main topics will be the individual, social, and spiritual aspects of our lives,
and how to deal with our shadows. By doing a holistic approach, we become
more fulfilled in our journey of self-understanding.
Join us in this quest for fulfilment and mastery of one’s sense of self.
DEEPENING ONE’S UNDERSTANDING OF ONESELF
THROUGH SHADOW WORK
We have seen that the shadow is merely an idea of the self. By perceiving it as a
perception of ourselves, we get to understand that it doesn’t necessarily control
us.
However, people nowadays, being distracted by the social media and the nature
of the technological life itself, it is difficult to keep track of one’s individuality.
People are easily swayed by their phones just as much as they are used to
getting what they want in an instant.
While useful and seemingly harmless, these technological developments have
undeniably shaped the way we live our lives. Instant gratification makes people
busy and bored at the same time.
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As a result, patience is not anymore, a virtue. It has been replaced by productivity
and efficiency. And so, waiting in line becomes less and less relevant while
ordering online becomes more necessary.
Making use of these technologies aren’t necessarily wrong. But whether we like it
or not, they shape the way we perceive life, and see little to no value on patience.
Patience brings solitude. It is in the most routinely common idle moments in life
that we get to have time for ourselves. Waiting in line, queuing in traffic, and
sitting at the departure area gives us time to think and reflect.
Thus, in order to deepen our understanding of ourselves, it is necessary to see
the value of these instances and how we can make use of them.
In this section of the guide, we will do a quick discussion of some ways that the
individual can immediately start applying shadow work into one's life.
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FIRST WAY: DISTANCING ONESELF FROM THE
SHADOW WILLIAM LUIJPEN’S SUBJECTIVITY AND
FREEDOM
One of the first ways that we will explore in this quest for integrating the shadow is
William Luijpen’s Subjectivity and Freedom.
Luijpen is a renowned philosopher, particularly on the subject of phenomenology
which basically talks the study of the world from man’s viewpoint or experience.
He was a catholic priest who contributed greatly to the study and propagation of
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Existentialism or the philosophical study of understanding man’s meaning and
existence.
We won’t be discussing the entirety of phenomenology and existentialism. We
also won’t be discussing even the whole article of Luijpen. Rather, what we will be
doing is to discuss a specific idea from his writings that can be applied to shadow
work.
Luijpen wrote an essay called Subjectivity and Freedom. In this essay, he
discussed the very notion of man’s existence, consciousness, being, and
autonomy. Now these four terms will be crucial because they will form part of the
basis why this method can become a practical way.
SHADOW WORK EXERCISE: DISTANCING
Man is free. This is one of the central ideas that the article discusses. By being
free, it doesn’t mean that we are in a state of absolute freedom. Our work binds
us just as our physical existence constricts us.
Meaning, when we talk about man’s freedom and autonomy, we are not
necessarily talking about external freedom. Rather, this kind of freedom is internal
and is in the mind.
The first condition in this method of distancing is autonomy.
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By understanding that man is autonomous (at least in so far as he is able to come
up with conscious and rational decisions) we realize that it is part of our nature to
make decisions and choices in life.
For instance, when you decide whether or not you will lend money to your friend
who needs it but you know can’t pay you back, you realize that you are engaging
in a rational decision-making process which involves morality.
When you think about it, this concept of autonomy extends to the point that
inaction is action. If you see trash in front of you and decided to disregard it, of
course that reflects your decision as an individual.
This autonomy of man enables him to be accountable for his actions, given that
he has the freedom to decide what to do and how to react.
The second condition in this method of distancing is reason.
Since man is equipped with the capability of reason (given that he is mentally
sane, of course) it automatically follows that he has the capacity to identify what is
right from what is wrong.
As in my previous example, reason defines the gap between man and animals.
When dogs are taken for a walk and goes out of the house, it is strange that they
have this urge to defecate the moment they are out.
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If we leave them be (yes, some dog owners deliberately do this), they will simply
discharge on the first lawn they see or even in the street itself. However, as the
dog owner, it is our responsibility to pickup that trash and dispose it accordingly.
In this example we can see that because man is imbued with reason, he has the
responsibility to make choices which are correct and rational. If man cannot make
those choices, he is no different from animals.
The popular comic/movie Spiderman tells us a lot about man’s autonomy and
freedom. The scene where Peter Parker decided to let the criminal go in order to
get even with the organizers speaks volumes of our daily experiences wherein we
let bad people get away.
As we all know, the very criminal that Peter Parker decided to let go was the man
who killed his uncle. Thus, we have the famous phrase that “with great power
comes great responsibility”.
The same holds true for man’s autonomy and rationality – because we are free
and with reason, we must be able to make moral and conscious decisions and be
held accountable for it.
While this is the usual ideal scenario, we realize that this is not automatically the
case. The existence of the shadow, for instance, can possibly hinder us to make
the best or right choices in life.
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Despite the fact that we are equipped with both reason and freedom, we still end
up making wrong choices due to the imbalanced and unattended perceptions that
we have of ourselves and of others.
In this case, we ask, what then does distancing contribute to the whole problem?
In order to answer the question, I will be referring to a direct quote from Luijpen’s
article.
“On the affective level existence also has both positive and negative aspects.
Existence on the affective level—which Heidegger calls “mood” or “tonality”—is
both a “finding oneself to be well” and a “finding oneself not to be well”: the world
is both a “home” and “alien to home.”
“The subject’s consent to reality is never unreserved; he can never fully say yes to
any reality. Neither money nor sex, science nor power, health nor the
Revolution—in a word, nothing fully satisfies man.”
“The subject’s affective yes to the world includes also an affective no. All fullness
of being-man is equiprimordially emptiness, all satisfaction is infected with
dissatisfaction, all peace, rest and happiness contain conflict, unrest, and
unhappiness. The “yes” within existence excludes absolute “nausea” (Sartre); the
“no” makes absolute consent impossible. The world is my home in which I long for
a better fatherland.” (William Luijpen, Subjectivity and Freedom)
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These directly quoted paragraphs speak volumes about the finitude of human
existence. But more importantly, it talks about the idea that the shadow is an
inescapable part of man’s existence in this world.
So, to truly answer the question, we ask – is man really bounded by this
experience mentioned above? Or can man break-free from these bonds in order
to decide for himself?
In our previous article, we already presumed that this can be possible. By noticing
our shadow traits and recognizing them, we get to consciously decide whether or
not to integrate them.
However, the groundwork for the very possibility of this point is yet to be laid. How
can we say that man’s consciousness is enough for him to deal with the shadows
or perform shadow work?
Isn’t it the case that consciousness alone is not enough that’s why we constantly
have unrecognized shadows in the first place?
This is the part where Luijpen’s idea plays a crucial role in understanding man’s
consciousness. I quote:
“The negativity involved in the subject’s affirmation of and consent to himself and
to reality is sometimes called “distance”: the subject distances himself from
unreserved affirmation and consent.” (William Luijpen, Subjectivity and Freedom)
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While some philosophers understood that to be and to live necessarily means that
we are in the world and is constantly engaged on it, it doesn’t mean that we’re
inevitably tied to it.
Meaning to say, when an individual encounters a situation that creates a shadow,
it doesn’t automatically mean that the shadow will have an imprint on him.
This is precisely because individuals are free and rational – they are conscious.
But the aspect that allows them to detach from the world is their capability for
distancing.
This notion of distancing from one's shadow is the very foundation of what allows
man to re-examine and evaluate what is happening to him.
Without distancing, a lot of things may happen to us to a point that we simply let
life see its way.
When there is distancing, people have this capability to further evaluate
themselves by placing their consciousness at a distance. If we were to simply
illustrate it, it would look like this:
As we can see in this simple conceptual illustration, the arrows represent the
in-between distances.
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By this method, we see that the self can be different from the world. The problem,
however, is that the self is tied to the shadow and to consciousness.
That is why when we let the shadow take over, it takes over the self, the
consciousness, and how the individual appears and reacts to the world.
This can be solved by what we refer to as “stepping-back”. By doing a simple
back step, we get to see things at a distance, and allow us to have a chance to
re-evaluate things in ourselves and lives as well.
To put into context, the value of stepping back is appreciated when we are about
to make big decisions in our lives.
Your boyfriend for 5 years suddenly proposed. And so, you are taken aback, and
re-evaluate at that spur of the moment. This evaluation will decide which action or
course you take.
If you didn’t realize your shadow, you would have decided right away without all
factors accounted for – like giving your shallow yes because you have a tendency
of being submissive.
But if you did the step back method, you would pause, think, and critically assess
the situation.
“Am I ready for this?”
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You ask the perennial question of humanity as if anyone is ever fully ready for
everything.
In this simple example, we can see that the value of stepping back is not only to
temporarily detach from the world (or how we perceive it), rather it also talks
about how we can detach from ourselves.
In which case, stepping back actually allows us to manifest the idea of the
previous section wherein we have to treat shadows as merely ideas of the self
and let consciousness become the driver.
By doing this method of shad wwork, we detach from our image of ourselves and
enter the higher level of consciousness.
And so, we ask, from this higher level, the same questions but with greater clarity
and understanding.
When things happen in our lives so fast (just like that salesperson in the
supermarket who sells seemingly essential stuff like a 16-in-1 blender), people
with clear judgments aren’t easily persuaded.
They know that they have tendencies and the compelling script of the salesperson
can easily lead to that unnecessary card swipe.
They know that their emotions can take over and justify their actions with logic.
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That is why they step back, evaluate, see their shadows from a distance.
As one of the many ways to perform shadow work and understand our shadows,
it is important to take note of this existential method for allows us to question the
meaning not only of the world but also of our own existence.
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SECOND WAY: UNDERSTANDING ONE’S SHADOW
SELF WITH THE HELP OF OTHERS: FREUDIAN
PSYCHOANALYSIS
In this second shadow work method, we will explore more about our shadows
using the Freudian phases of development.
As a quick introduction, Sigmund Freud is the father of Psychology. His main
theory revolves around the ideas of psychoanalysis, psychosexual development,
and more famously – the id, ego, and superego.
Despite criticisms, his ideas played a central role in the development of the
majority of theories in psychology.
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Freud spearheaded this idea of the conscious and unconscious states – both of
which has opened the path for digging deeper into human psychology.
As Psychology progressed, these ideas of Freud became cornerstones from
which other famous psychologists built their theory with.
In this section, we will selectively discuss Freud’s theory. We will explore how
shadows develop and are treated using the Freudian stages of development.
By examining his famous psychosexual development theory, we can see how our
past experiences might have subconsciously affected our growth
SHADOW WORK EXERCISE: PSYCHOSEXUAL
DEVELOPMENT THEORY
Freud, perhaps, is the, if not most, famous psychologist largely due to his sexually
inclined theory. Previously seen as radical, growing intrigue, belief, and
acceptance in these controversial topics continues to catapult his legacy beyond
his death.
One particular theory that sparks this intrigue is the psychosexual development
theory which mainly focuses on the phases of childhood.
These phases are explained involving a sexually inclined approach even to the
point that it presents the Oedipus Complex.
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Such an idea usually highlights the intrigue in Freud’s psychology, making him
less
But before we delve into that intrigue, it would be fairer to him if we begin with his
core principles – pleasure and reality.
Freud tells us that we have a natural tendency towards the pleasure principle. As
humans, we aspire for happiness and pleasure. This is part of our being human.
On a bit of a side note, this idea is one of the primordial questions in man’s
existence. What makes man truly happy?
If we were to go back to the pre-historic times, we would see that humans tried to
aspire for survival because a certain level of happiness was to be achieved for
surviving.
As man became more literate and was able to begin civilizations and recording of
history, this question remained but with different answers.
The Greeks aspired for virtue and self-actualization while the Catholics longed to
be one with God.
Modern thought brought by Descartes relinquished all other ideas of happiness
and led to the ultimate idea that we know of – the ability to pursue life as we see it
fit.
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This idea served as an umbrella which takes in our concept of happiness.
But for Freudian psychology, happiness meant pleasure. As children, we grow up
to seek pleasure usually from our parents, particularly with our mother who fed us
with breastmilk.
But Freud also notes that while the chief good that man seeks is happiness, he
cannot over-pursue it for it will cause displeasure.
While we’d always love to have a bite of that Krispy Kreme donut, we know that
eating a donut a day, keeps diabetes (not away lol).
In the same way, the same example applies. Spending too much time with a
person can eat up both your time and make you stagnant. Resting and relaxing
can be perceived as happiness but too much of such can lead to laziness.
And so, Freud theorized that it is not only the pleasure principle but also the
reality principle that we have to take note of.
Having the reality principle, people will balance off their inner desires for sex and
aggression (biases of Freud in his theory). People will not just randomly take
advantage of someone even if that is their definition of happiness.
In other words, the reality principle points at social rules and norms which are set
to limit our idea and pursuit of happiness.
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Going back to our shadow, these two main ideas are strongly relevant in dealing
with them because if we were to have a better understanding of shadow work, we
have to see how it affects us and how society perceives it.
As a shadow is growing, it is possible that these are repressed notions of
happiness which manifests itself in unusual manners.
With the help of being able to see them, we are better able to manage them. But
how should we see them using the Freudian lens?
In the Freudian theory, we develop what we call as neurosis/neuroses. In an
attempt to balance the pleasure and reality principle, the human mind may
sometimes make faulty negotiations which will lead to repressions.
By having to regulate ourselves in an unbalanced manner, we develop a certain
neurosis which can trigger negative responses in a person.
But how do these neuroses come about? Freud tells us that we need to examine
our childhood in order to asses if there were any events which have led to us
being imbalanced in one way or another.
From his lens, this is where the psychosexual theory becomes relevant. Freud
suggests certain phases in the human experience which contributes to this overall
trend.
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First, the oral phase. As we are born into this world, our expression of pleasure
manifests in the act of looking for basic sustenance. And so, a baby cries as it
yearns for food through oral intake.
Thus, the way we commune with the world is through our mouth. Our feelings and
ideas are expressed through the mouth whether it be by eating or making sounds
which can signal the parent about something that we want.
Freud argues that if parents are not careful, this phase may later on develop
certain fixations such as smoking, nail-biting, over-eating, or even rejection of
dependency on food.
The second phase is the Anal phase. At ages 1-3 years old, the child is being
toilet-trained. As the child learns to do this on his/her own, control over the
environment without being dependent on others is achieved.
Gratification is realized through self-achievement by proper toilet training. By
recognizing through positive gestures, parents are encouraging children to
positive outcomes as well.
But if the child is not trained properly, this may cause problems – a dichotomy
between orderliness and messiness. Both are natural results of not being properly
trained given that the child is unable to distinguish the apt medium and opts for
the extreme.
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Moving on, the phallic stage is when the child begins to realize his/her sexual
orientation. By becoming more aware of his/her surroundings, children begin to
have this drive towards affection of the opposite parent.
This is the controversial stage where Freud presents the idea of Oedipus/Electra
Complex. As boys desire to replace the father, young girls also compete for the
father’s affection.
As children begin to identify with their common sex parent, this naturally resolves
the issue. However, if they fail to resonate with their parent, it can cause a whole
lot of sexual dysfunction during adulthood.
The next stage is the latency stage. By 6-12 years old, children begin to play with
other children. At this stage, the sexual libido is present but not on a specific part
of the body.
Children during these stages manifest their energies through pursuits of things
that they want to do. They become more concerned with relationships between
them.
Lastly, the genital stage occurs from ages 12+. As they become more aware of
their sexuality, the focus is restored on the libido. This manifests in their puberty
stage.
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On both last stages, Freud notes that there are no adulthood fixations caused by
such.
So far, we have seen an attempt to give a compact summary of Freud’s
psychosexual theory. But how is this related to one’s shadow?
In Freud’s psychological theory, we can see that he places great emphasis on
how children are raised from ages 0-6 years old. As mentioned above, possible
adult fixations result from these stages.
What this tells us is that problems we encounter during childhood can have a big
impact to our personality. This is because during the time that we were
experiencing them, we don’t quite have a grasp of the world.
Freud also shows that embedded in our personality is the idea that we are sexual
beings. Having these essential sexual drives makes manifest in the actions that
we do as children.
Thus, if we look back to Freudian theory, we can see that the shadows that we
have are most likely a result of childhood fixations that were left unaddressed
For instance, if we are humans with the tendency to smoke, it might have very
well been the case that during childhood, we weren’t fed properly. Thus, our
mouths constantly look for the same sensation that was supposedly afforded to
us.
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In the same way, the anal stage also shows that as children we should have been
taught to do the toilet alone and be praised for it.
But nowadays, some parents just use the diaper due to the convenience that it
provides. When parents do such, they cannot train children properly to do potty
training.
Practically, this will have an effect in the child as they lacked the sense of control
and praise that was denied to them. As adults, they may become overly organized
given that they were lacking such before or completely the other way around.
Lastly, we see that the phallic stage talks about the sexual orientation of children.
In failing to become a proper role model to them, they can be prone to sexual
dysfunction.
What this means is that they may have problems associating with their own sex or
associating with the other sex. Since as children, they were denied this feeling of
security, they might look for a father figure from their partner, a presence that they
lacked before.
If we try to take into account Freud’s arguments in relation to our concept of
shadows, we will see that shadows form not only because of our own choices.
In the previous article, we have attributed shadows as natural consequences of
things we resent or reject.
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But from a Freudian standpoint, we can see that a lot of those things that we
resent are not truly our choices.
Rather, they are natural consequences of some fixations or neuroses that were
left unaddressed during childhood.
Thus, the failure to address these basic functions of the body can manifest into
psychological neuroses.
These neuroses can have an effect on the decisions we make, eventually forming
our shadows.
But in the same way, we can also say that even when we parents were able to
resolve these issues correctly, shadows still occur.
Consider for instance the phallic stage. Freud tells us that we need to integrate
and associate with the common sex parent. As a girl, one can associate with the
mother who exemplifies what being a woman is. (at least from the child’s
standpoint)
As a result, it is to be expected then that children will pursue womanly things
given the influence of their mother.
In the same way, a lack of a father figure for male boys can result to a female
preference. As a writer, I’ve known people who have experienced such.
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Given the strong maternal experience in their family, his childhood preferences
were strongly altered. I used to remember seeing him playing with bras instead of
cars during childhood.
I’m not claiming that this eventually led him to prefer men as life partners. But
eventually, it did happen. Although we cannot fully conclude that this was a result
of problems during childhood, we can at least theorize that there is a correlation.
In this case, whether little boy prefers cars or bras, he definitely considers the
opposite as inapt.
From there, a shadow is built, even when the child is yet to reach the peak of his
autonomy and reason.
What does this tell us about our shadows and shadow work?
First – that they are most likely heavily influenced by our psychological
upbringing.
In this theory, we can see that shadow archetypes are made even without our
own volition.
The psychological upbringing of an individual can strongly influence how he or
she perceives the world – whether it be a dangerous or safe place to live in.
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Much of these shadows are things that we can really do nothing about during
these phases for it is up to our parents to choose which shadows to allow.
Which brings us to the question of – how do we actually deal with them if they are
made right from the beginning?
Come to think of it, if your own shadows right now are results of choices you didn’t
make, would it even be possible for us to identify them alone?
Perhaps, this is the reason why some people continue to live with their shadows
and fail to identify them. Because individuals obtained these ideas of themselves
during childhood, it would be difficult for them to bring it to the table.
And so, individuals grow up with fixations, as Freud tells us.
This brings us to the second point of why Freudian theory is very much relevant to
the case of shadow work.
While he was famous for this psychosexual theory, another thing that made him
legendary was his psychoanalysis method.
As a founder of psychoanalysis, Freud invented and utilized this method to treat
patients with neurosis or fixations due to bad childhood experiences.
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In psychoanalysis, repressed emotions and ideas of the self are made conscious
to the subject. This aims to have a cathartic effect, healing and relieving them
from their faulty ideas. Today, it is being used to treat depression and anxiety.
Freud suggests that we use psychoanalysis with the help of a trained
professional.
Using their expertise, psychologists can employ a series of tests which can be
interpreted following a scientific method.
These tests are aimed to help us understand more about ourselves, repressions,
and tendencies as individuals.
With their help, we are better able to have a grasp of reality and our own minds.
But are we really required to go to psychologists to know more about our
shadows? Do we require a presupposed “expert” to tell us how to perform shadow
work? The next theory that we’re going to discuss suggests otherwise.
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THIRD WAY: ANALYZING ONE'S SHADOW KAREN
HORNEY’S SELF-ANALYSIS
While the second way talked about Freudian method of psychoanalysis, this third
shadow work method will explore a different approach from a neo-Freudian
theorist named Karen Horney.
As a brief introduction, Karen Horney is one of the most famous psychologists in
human history whose theories have form part of their fundamental methodologies.
Horney’s work was radical for she even was one of the first female students who
were allowed to pursue being a physician. She was also even part of the
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Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis, and of course was closely
relevant to Sigmund Freud.
In this section, we will have brief exploration on Horney’s psychoanalytic theory.
By using her theory, we will dig deeper into the shadows and understand more
about how we can deal with them using Horney’s method of self-analysis.
SHADOW WORK EXERCISE: HORNEY’S PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY
As mentioned in the previous series, one of the many ways to unravel and
integrate our shadows is by way of self-analysis - one of the principles of shadow
work.
Briefly defined, self-analysis is a shadow work exercise that involves performing
personal psychotherapy wherein the individual is both the analyst and patient.
This idea is largely based on Horney’s Psychoanalytic Social Theory wherein she
talks about how the human person develops his/her psyche. As a quick summary,
we will be talking of a few concepts in her theory.
Horney’s theory begins with the perception that a human person is like an acorn
whose potentiality is to grow into an oak tree. If proper conditions are met, an
acorn, while fragile, can grow into an oak tree.
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However, this also means that the acorn is susceptible to unfavorable conditions.
For instance, the acorn itself might be damaged, or the conditions from which it
thrives are too harsh for growth.
These conditions do not permit the acorn to grow into an oak tree.
Just like the acorn, human beings have the potentiality to achieve
self-actualization. As each person is free and rational, with own talents and
preferences developed overtime, he/she may flourish.
But certain experiences in life deny some or even most people to become the
best version of themselves.
A traumatic childhood experience of simply being treated unfairly by family
members can lead a person to become selfish.
A child that is unloved will find it difficult to give love for one cannot give what
he/she doesn’t have.
For Horney, these unfavorable conditions develop certain problems during
childhood for a child will be unable to process them.
More likely than not, it will contribute to certain neurotic trends which can hinder
one’s growth. By failing to see that security from one’s parents, a child may
develop certain basic anxieties that which will tarnish the way he/she perceives
life.
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So, in order to understand more about Horney’s theory, we will briefly talk about
two things: Neurotic Trends and Neurotic Needs.
As a context, neurotic trends and needs arise as a response of the individual to
basic anxieties. Such anxieties are a result of a troubled childhood, with
unresolved issues as mentioned above.
Compared to Freud, these anxieties do not stem from one’s internal urges and
drives. Horney’s theory, although psychoanalytic, has a social factor into it.
For Horney, similar in the example of the acorn, social factors are essential in the
development of the individual. The younger the child is, the more prone he/she
becomes with these social factors.
Thus, when children are not given proper attention and guidance, they may feel
that the world is an unsafe place.
An example that I can give is when we see children who are playing. One
common misconception about children is that when they are behaved when they
are not playful.
From a psychological standpoint, the nature of children is to interact and to play
with others. Yet, some children remain silent as if they were adults. The common
misconception there is that some parents think that it is a good thing.
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Rather, in reality, this occurrence signifies that the child is bothered and views the
world as an unsafe place. Thus, possibly, the child may lack the self-confidence to
engage with other children.
The same example also applies when the child asks permission from parents.
Parents who have raised their children well are constantly reassuring their child
that “it is okay, you may proceed.” Thus, the constant asking of permission.
The failure to know and value these instances may lead the child to conclude that
the world is an unsafe place, creating that basic anxiety within him/her. With that
basic anxiety, children are prone to develop certain neurotics.
Given these neurotics, Horney talks about two main aspects: the neurotic needs
and neurotic trends.
Neurotic needs are common problems of individuals which they commonly deal
with a multitude of strategies.
Neurotics, however, repeat the same strategy over and over again despite is
ineffectiveness. Much like the shadow, the same problems recur overtime.
First, some have the neurotic need for affection and approval. Lack in this level
may lead an individual to try and please everyone else.
Second, the neurotic need for a powerful partner may be a result or lead to a state
of low self-confidence or giving too much value for love.
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Third, restricting one’s self within narrow boarders is a neurotic need. While this
can be perfectly normal just as all other needs, this may be a result to viewing
one’s abilities as inferior or underestimating them.
Fourth, there is a neurotic need for power, which affects one’s self image and
avoids to be perceived as weak.
Fifth, another neurotic need is to exploit others. Some people fear of being
exploited so they do it to others before it is done unto them.
Sixth, over-aspiring for social recognition and needs is an example of a neurotic
need. No matter how good it sounds, over-competitiveness can result to one
always being wanted or perceived as important.
Seventh, some people have this neurotic need for self-admiration. This constantly
requires that their self-esteem be fed.
Eight, the neurotic need for ambition and self-development may lead to
over-perfectionism.
Ninth, the neurotic need for self-sufficiency and independence can make one
have this strong need to distance from others.
Lastly, tenth, the neurotic need for perfection can leave a person wanting nothing
less.
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We won’t be discussing them in detail but these brief introductions can somehow
give us an idea of how shadows are present in us using Horney’s lens.
Because of certain neuroticisms, we choose and react in a specific way.
Tendencies as a result of childhood trauma can result to our own shadows.
Following the same principle used in Freud, we can see here that shadows are
formed even outside our own volition. But how do individuals react using Horney’s
theory?
Horney suggests that there are three main neurotic trends: Moving away from
other people, moving against other people, and moving towards other people.
In a neurotic level, these natural defenses can become problematic. They become
core tendencies of individuals.
First, moving towards other people may sound good, but doing it in an excess can
lead to social problems of dependency, with neurotic needs of affection, a
powerful partner, and narrower limits.
As an example, we can see this in a case of teenagers who grew up lacking the
attention that they needed. As they become bonded with other teenagers, they
may have the tendency of being too dependent on a partner even when both are
merely teenagers.
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In their own teenage relationship, the dependent partner will demand too much
from the other which naturally causes a breakdown.
From here on, shadows can be formed as a result of how the troubled teenager
sees other people. He/she may even further doubt if the world can ever be a safe
place despite moving towards it.
Even when interacting is good, the demands created by these neuroticisms can
be too much for the other, especially when he/she is not ready.
In the same way, moving against other people can be seen in rebellious actions.
Demand for power, admiration, prestige and the like can lead to exploitation of
others.
Oftentimes, people who conclude that the world is an unsafe place may have the
neurotic reaction of overly protecting themselves first.
This may result to manipulating the feelings and reactions of other people – and
thus the classic representation of domestic violence.
Lastly, moving away from people can be a neurotic trend, given that individuals
experiencing these symptoms strive too much to become self-sufficient and
perfectionists.
This naturally sets them apart from others, in more of a negative way given that
they don’t really trust or cooperate well.
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People who display such can become dictators in their own households,
distancing themselves even from family members.
All these neurotic trends and needs has a complex interplay with each other,
resulting into unrecognized shadows along the way.
Before we know it, we are already distancing from people we love or being
overfamiliar with people we know. These are tendencies which form part in our
decision-making process, ultimately leading us to problems that we are unaware
of.
So how do we actually deal with them?
While Freud suggests psychoanalysis with a therapist, it is often cited in his
anecdotes that “the chief person that I am concerned with is myself.” Freud
admitted in constantly undergoing himself in the same process of psychoanalysis.
He analyzed himself, his dreams, his tendencies, and his behavior, which led
some to theorize that this was perhaps the reason why he remained unhappy.
In line with this notion, Horney suggests that we engage in self-analysis.
The method of self-analysis dates back to the idea of the ancient Greeks,
particularly the inscription associated to Socrates – Know Thyself.
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In this classic story, the oracle of Delphi proclaimed that no one was wiser than
Socrates. In search of understanding this wisdom, Socrates began his endless
inquisitions of people of different statures during his time.
In the end, it can be concluded that Socrates was indeed the wisest for he was
the only one who had the courage to admit that he was not.
From Horney’s perspective, self-analysis can be likened to this notion of knowing
thyself. By engaging in a constant conversation and awareness with one’s
consciousness, a person is able to have a better grasp on his shadows.
The more that we try to wrestle these shadows, the wiser we become, given that
we obtain greater understanding of ourselves. In the same way, as we move
forward, we also realize that what we understand about it is very much limited and
dynamic, exposing our own ignorance even about ourselves.
It is clear from here on that both Freud and Horney agree that a person must
undergo psychoanalysis. The difference between them lies in how the method is
executed. Freud proposes that it should be done with the help of a trained
professional.
In Horney’s perspective, doing psychoanalysis with a trained professional may not
be the best option. Horney tells us that while the psychologist is trained, it takes
months, years (if not, a lifetime) for another person to understand us.
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But we, as individuals, are constantly connected to ourselves – that which we
intimately and deeply know about.
In relation to shadow work, this can be shown in moments wherein we already
know our tendencies and we continue to allow them to take control.
A self-righteous person, for instance, may quickly judge a person coming from a
different culture. While presumably problematic, this self-righteous person already
knows this tendency and still continues to do it.
While the shadow can be at play here, we also cannot deny that the individual
himself has stronger access to the shadow.
As the shadow manifests this self-righteousness through projection on other
people, it hopes to reconcile and integrate with the individual. The problem is that
not all individuals recognize these signals for they don’t even know that they have
shadows! And without knowing the existence of one’s shadow, how does one
perform shadow work?
In other words, the shadow, as it works itself, doesn’t really need a therapist.
Rather, it needs awareness and acknowledgement from the individual himself so
that it can be integrated to one’s consciousness.
It is, however, not an easy path. Doing self-analysis can be quite challenging
given that even the mere fact of facing one’s shadows is already a big task.
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Should it have been easy, people would have already controlled their shadows
most of the time.
But as we know it, most of us are not even aware of these shadows.
To add further, when we become aware of them, it even makes things more
challenging for we cannot handle them. Thus we repress or suppress these
shadows further.
For instance, in the movie the great Gatsby, we can see that J. Gatsby, a dirt-poor
individual only had his dreams with him. Following this desire for greatness, he
eventually became a mystery millionaire. Despite such, the repressed traits due to
his past constantly manifest in him – like his lack of Oxfordian manners.
In the movie he continued to suppress and repress them as if they never existed,
for he himself was not ready to face them.
The question then is that – in doing self-analysis and shadow work, can we even
handle it?
Horney believes that yes, we will be able to do so. She tells us that when we
become aware of our repressed traits or shadows, while we become problematic
and fearful about it, it doesn’t necessarily follow that we can’t deal with them.
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Rather, the mere fact that they surface means that we can deal with them. Just as
the shadows project itself on how we view others, its communication mechanism
is asking us to recognize instead of repress them.
For Horney, much can be gained by doing this method of self-analysis. Just as
when we learn how to ride a bike on our own instead of someone teaching us,
self- analysis can bring more self-confidence and mastery.
For Horney, doing self-analysis will bear more fruits for us and will restore us back
to the path of growth, from acorn to oak tree.
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FOURTH WAY: JUNGIAN DREAM ANALYSIS
In the previous ways we have seen a common method that was applied –
self-introspection.
When an individual examines his consciousness and how it operates, one is able
to introspect, leading to self-knowledge.
As we distanciate ourselves from ourselves, we get to have a gap as presented in
the first way.
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Given this gap, we gain access to certain childhood problems which can be
portrayed from both Freudian and Horneyian lens.
While Freud believed in the psychosexual theory as the main basis, Horney
presents the perspective from a psychosocial sense.
Their difference in method also manifests as Freud believes this unresolved
trauma can be resolved with the help of a trained professional while Horney
shows that it can be done alone.
In all these methods, it points to understanding oneself and one’s shadows, any of
which can help contribute the way we perceive our lives.
In this last shadow work exercise, we will explore another perspective from Carl
Jung, the man who coined the term “shadows” himself.
SHADOW WORK EXERCISE: DREAM ANALYSIS
So what are dreams?
Most of the time, we usually don’t mind them.
When we dream of something, we have the tendency to think that “oh maybe
that’s just something irrelevant” or “maybe that’s because I saw that pizza ad
yesterday.”
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But what are they really? Can we simply dismiss dreams as wishy washy
thoughts in our mind? Or do they actually say something about us?
Is it possible that we get to understand more about our shadow archetypes by
looking into these dreams?
For starters, it is scientifically proven that each night, we do have dreams
occurring. Even when we don’t really remember anything the moment we wake
up, they were there.
The scientific proof behind this is brain image scanning. In Japan, researchers
have found ways to access the images present in one’s dream as they fall asleep.
Using this method, researchers, doctors, and psychologists have gained more
understanding about our dreams.
But even when we know that they exist, what do these random images really
mean? If they even mean something, can they make sense?
The first point in this question is the idea of randomness. Are dreams really simply
random ideas? Or can they be manifestations of our repressions?
Following Freud’s psychosocial theory, he tells us that dreams are a way to
reconcile with our childhood milestones that we were unable to meet.
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For instance, problems during the phallic stage can manifest itself in dream state,
hoping that the conscious mind will reconcile with the unconscious issues.
By showing our consciousness these ideas, it hopes to make us aware of our
inner issues.
Thus, Freud believed that the things we see in our dreams are symbolisms that
are unique for us. Each person has his/her own issues in life in which should they
repress it, they become stored in the unconscious.
Eventually, these stored ideas of the self, memories, or traits, will make itself
manifest through dreams. Thus, through it, we might have a chance of hitting
milestones in the development of our psyche, eventually dealing with our
neurosis.
While Jung was practically a student of Freud, they eventually had to split ways
because Jung pursued something more than this individualistic and psychosexual
theory of Freud. Jung believed that dreams contain more than our repressed
sexual desires for the driving force in man is not only the libido.
Freud wanted to create an integrated interpretation using his psychosexual
theory, thus, making his theory unified.
Jung, on the other hand, thought that dreams gave us access to something
beyond ourselves – the collective unconscious. He believed that Freud’s
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understanding of dreams and its symbols is too limited. He thought that symbols
of one’s dreams are not limited to personal interpretation.
Simply put, the collective unconscious is the holistic compilation of all the
symbols, ideas, signs, and concepts in humankind. These symbols are
experienced in everyday life, even when they are not necessarily registered in the
consciousness of individuals.
A deeper insight into the human mind and consciousness will lead us to this
understanding that everything we empirically sense in this world becomes
converted to data that is registered in our mind.
However, not all of these data are consciously stored. Rather, some of them are
absorbed but not really consciously focused given the limited nature of the way
humans dedicate their attention. These data can be stored in the personal
unconscious. Thus, the theory that the conscious mind only accounts for the small
amount of the data that we actually absorb every day.
In the movie Focus by Will Smith and Margot Robbie, we can see this classic
example of psychological priming. As BD Wong (the rich gambler) was in the
Superbowl game, Will Smith and his team was priming him by constantly showing
him the number 55 in subconscious/unconscious ways. They even played
Symphony of the devil which had “woo-woos”(chinese for 55) in its lyrics.
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Eventually they made a bet with BD Wong to pick a football player from a pool of
almost 100 players. Wong eventually picked number 55 and was guessed by
Margot Robbie.
Now it seems impossible but such things are happening to us and are registering
in our minds.
While we perceive from an observer’s perspective that there are far too many
numbers for one number (55) to be picked, what we fail to see is that it was the
same for Wong. The sea of players made it difficult for Wong to pick a player,
especially when his rational consciousness was trying to make sense of the
number to be selected.
As he picked a number, he was trying to make sense of everything. He looked for
something familiar, which in this case was 55. Eventually, he resonated with the
number thinking that it was fate. In reality, it was his absorbed personal
unconscious that influenced this decision.
It doesn’t end there. As these symbols have universal meanings, they can be
linked to universal concepts as well. Thus, it taps on the collective unconscious.
In the same way, how we receive and interpret our dreams can also appear
random and irrelevant. However, if we try to dig deeper, we realize that it is not
entirely composed of elements from our own reality.
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For instance, it is very common that a lot of absurd things happen during dream
state. We are in unusual situations which are not necessarily something that we
have experienced or even watched in the movies.
Jung thought that dreams opened the doors to this collective unconscious.
Symbols from the collective unconscious are believed to be passed on not only by
unconscious registrations in the mind, but also through birth.
The evidence presented by Jung is the striking significance in mythological motifs
among different peoples, in a cross-cultural sense.
Meaning, Jung’s studies of different cultures has led him to conclude that despite
having different beliefs, common imagery and symbols existed.
The strongest proof presented for this belief is the mystical symbol of the
Mandala.
The mandala originally referred to a spiritual and ritual symbol of Buddhism and
Hinduism which represented perfection. It was often an artwork based on perfect
balance between squares and circles.
The significance of the mandala is that it was also present in western civilizations
such as the Aztec and Mayan civilizations. Both the Mayans and Aztecs utilized it
as a calendar of some sort.
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Eventually, the significance of the mandala has evolved from these ancient
concepts. Nowadays, the mandala symbol is used to represent perfection.
Jung believed that the mandala represented the self-archetype, an image which
symbolized wholeness.
This is supported even by one of the paintings of the legendary Leonardo
DaVinci. In the Virtruvian man sketch, a perfect circle is drawn from the navel of a
man by equally extending it. In the same way, the wing span of man is equally
proportionate with his height.
In this sketch, DaVinci outlined problems of his time about geometry, philosophy,
religion etc. By drawing the Virtruvian Man, he was able to outline how human
beings have the possibility for wholeness and perfection.
Even the idea of a square circle originated from the ancient times, an attempt to
re-create perfection. This was impossible due to the nature of pi which was
transcendental.
In any case, we can see that this imagery of the square circle is present in the
mandala, and even utilizes the same concept.
This, together with all other similarities in mythic concepts and universal signs, led
Jung to perceive that there indeed is something more and beyond.
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Because of this theory, some have regarded Jung as going beyond psychology to
parapsychology. Discussing metaphysical and spiritual links can be doubted by
thinkers and researchers, especially those in the hard sciences.
Despite such, his theory is only gaining more attraction as people find meaning in
this concept of collective unconscious.
People have resonated strongly with this idea of the collective unconscious, giving
them a wider perspective in understanding their dreams, archetypes, and
shadows.
In this quest to understand more about our dreams, Jung suggests that the
personal unconscious - the median between the conscious and collective
unconscious, is not only comprised of personal desires but are also influenced by
the archetype.
Our 12 jungian archetypes, as we have found out in this website, are universal
frames of existence, roles and qualities that are rooted in the collective
unconscious.
This opens up a new possibility in shadow work, given that it allows us to pinpoint
that our shadows are born out of own choice and childhood trauma. This presents
the possibility that shadows themselves are the inevitable consequences of
having certain archetypes.
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For instance, having the hero archetype, our psyche is programmed to favor
being a hero above all other archetypes. In this way, a person will perceive
courage as the highest virtue. In the same way, he will resent cowardice even
when such can be reasonable, depending on the context.(For instance, the great
strategist Sun Tzu suggests that when heavily outnumbered, one must flee)
However, Jung tells us that we can never have direct experiences with these
archetypes. Instead, they are inherent parts of us which emanates from the
natural evolution of the psyche just as that of the human race.
Thus, the way to understand more about the shadow is to take into consideration
these archetypes and how they influence our conscious responses.
Going back to Freud and Horney, the way to dig deeper is not only examining
childhood sexual milestones or social neurotic trends. In Jung’s theory, we can
see that understanding the shadow can be deepened by the collective
unconscious.
Through shadow work and by introspecting and evaluating the collective
unconscious, we get to have a more primordial understanding of our shadow.
In the act of constantly analyzing one’s dreams, he/she might be able to locate
that thin thread which connects them all. As we interpret what our psyche is telling
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us, we should not limit ourselves in the actual dream and the symbols we
assume.
Accounting for the personal unconscious and the collective unconscious can give
us an idea of our shadow by gaining a primordial and transcendental
understanding of it.
Much like the concepts of the mandala and the virtruvian man, the idea of the
collective unconscious is something that we cannot simply sideline due to the fact
of its consistency and universality.
Perhaps, in viewing our shadows from this perspective, we can know more about
the inherent tendencies of the forces that we repress within us.
IMPROVING SOCIAL AWARENESS THROUGH SHADOW
WORK
In the previous sections presented, the underlying common theme, of course, is
deepening the understanding of a person about himself/herself by using shadow
work.
We have utilized four ways to do this.
First, by way of distancing.
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Second, by using Freud’s psychosexual theory.
Third, by adding Horney’s psychosocial theory.
Fourth, Jung’s dream analysis opened up for the possibility of a transcendental
explanation of one’s shadows.
In all these 4 shadow work methods suggested in those previous articles, we can
see that it seeks to bring out the shadow from the unconscious mind to the
conscious mind.
The existential method of distancing sets up the stage in order to make shadows
manifest itself. After recognizing them, the individual has a chance to
acknowledge and integrate them into one’s personality.
But integration presupposes understanding. In order to fully fuse with the shadow,
it requires that we not only recognize but know them.
The reason behind this is the presumption that dealing with our shadows is a
life-long task.
When we do shadow work, it can have a magnanimous effect. However, as we
continually make choices in life, new shadows appear.
Given our knowledge from the previous section, we are better equipped in dealing
with this.
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However, this is not enough given that shadows are not only formed out of our
own choices. Why so?
One point that can be raised here is the question of freedom.
Are we truly free?
Consider for instance when you drop by at your usual McDonald’s. You come in
to the store, lining up, while thinking which meal to order.
By the time that it is your turn, you decided to pick their new offering with those
large coke and fries meal.
But the question is, when you did this, were you truly free?
Some might say yes. By choosing one meal over the other, or even the mere fact
that you decided to select McDonald’s as your destination is an expression of
freedom.
Yet others may say no. In choosing which meal to eat, you were limited by the
options presented right before you. In the same way, because you were hungry,
you might have decided to stop by at McDonald’s instead of going to a proper
restaurant or eating at home.
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Even if you weren’t hungry, the same criticism can be implied that as you passed
by, you saw the gigantic sign of McDonald’s, compelling your action towards the
consumption of such.
In other words, it is not enough to see our shadows, evaluate them, and integrate
them.
It being a constant task requires constant attention as well not only on ourselves
but also on the society that we live in.
That is why, in this section of shadow work, we will look deeper into the social
factors affecting the choices that we make, how it molds them, and how
awareness of it can improve our self-understanding.
DETACHING FROM PUBLIC OPINION: KIERKEGAARD’S
INDIVIDUAL VS. CROWD
In understanding the social dimension of shadows, the first perspective that we
are going to present comes from a philosophical one, still.
This is precisely because it can better explain man’s task – understanding the
meaning and value of his/her own life. Integrating with our shadows, after all, is
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only a task afforded to the man who is aware of the value of his/her own
existence.
The problem is that this value cannot be understood alone.
To propose that we can understand the value of our own life alone removes an
important aspect of our existence – sociality. Given that we necessarily live with
others, we cannot escape from this matrix and perceive ourselves from a vacuum.
In this case, how does the social aspect affect our life anyway?
As a quick introduction, Soren Aabye Kierkegaard is usually regarded as the
father of Existentialism. This is so given that Kierkegaard is one of the modern
thinkers who have sparked the redirection of understanding.
Most thinkers during his time was too eager to understand the world. This
perhaps was an influence of Galileo’s shift from understanding God to
understanding the natural world.
His persecution, which was definitely unjust, has shifted the understanding of
people from the subjective (belief during his time) to the objective (the empirical
nature of the world).
This trend has resulted to creating a bias within the world – that objective truths
about how life should be lived existed.
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Kierkegaard’s constant introspection has led him to have a different viewpoint
about the world – one that was subjective by nature.
But how is the objective and subjective different?
Objectivity can be defined as a quality of a thing or an idea to be true and real
despite of the perception of individuals.
This means that objective truths remain constant no matter how other people may
choose to interpret them.
Subjectivity, on the other hand, refers to the perspective of the perceiver – the
individual himself.
In this case, subjective truths are very much springing from the perceiver, instead
of having a quality of its own.
Thus, when we say that the value of pi is 3.14…, this is a truth that is independent
of the socio-cultural and historical factors of the perceiver.
However, when we talk about whether or not Audrey Hepburn is the epitome of
human beauty, the value of the answers can be subjective as the beauty depends
on the eyes of the beholder.
While no other problems may arise when we talk about geometry and
mathematics, objectivity can cause problems when applied to human values.
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In this case, Kierkegaard saw this paradox through the inauthentic nature of
people during his time.
As members of the Christian faith, people often conformed with the norm, simply
agreeing with whatever was and is.
Kierkegaard saw this as funny and problematic at the same time. Apart from
religion, He rejected this act of simply conforming to social rules without giving
them proper weight and evaluation.
And I quote:
"When I was young, I forgot how to laugh in the cave of Trophonius; when I was
older, I opened my eyes and beheld reality, at which I began to laugh, and since
then, I have not stopped laughing. I saw that the meaning of life was to secure a
livelihood, and that its goal was to attain a high position; that love’s rich dream
was marriage with an heiress; that friendship’s blessing was help in financial
difficulties; that wisdom was what the majority assumed it to be; that enthusiasm
consisted in making a speech; that it was courage to risk the loss of ten dollars;
that kindness consisted in saying, “You are welcome,” at the dinner table; that
piety consisted in going to communion once a year. This I saw, and I laughed.”
(Soren Kierkegaard, Either/Or)
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In this direct quote, we can see that Kierkegaard was laughing at the bourgeois
dream of conforming to the set objective notions of how to live the good life.
The same thing can be applied to us as we simply subscribe to this notion of the
American dream.
For Kierkegaard, it was important to examine more about ourselves rather than
simply adhering to the social notions of what is right and how should life be lived.
Kierkegaard believed that the primordial task of man is to discover the meaning of
his own life in light of his innate angst.
This concept of angst arises from man’s frustration of how life should be lived. As
Kierkegaard wrote: “Life can only be understood backwards but must be lived
forwards.”
This iconic quote which reflects the absurdity of human life makes us question if
we can really ever derive meaning from it. In every choice we make, we are faced
with a situation which forces us to eliminate another option.
An individual, for instance, may have a lot of talents in life. He may have an
exceptionally high IQ while having generational talent as a musical conductor.
Typically speaking, this person may decide to pursue a career on both the
sciences and the arts.
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However, in choosing and focusing on one, he forgoes the other. He may look
back but time has already been lost.
This is the angst that every human person must live with for the rest of his life.
In the same way, this act of making choices forms our shadows. In this case
however, this gifted man who can pick either may have been influenced by people
around him.
It would be great if people influenced him positively. However, for most of us,
Kierkegaard has noted that there exists the inauthentic crowd.
In this case, even if this man had enormous talents and possibilities, he wouldn’t
necessarily be able to pursue them, especially when he keeps associating himself
with the crowd.
By conforming with the crowd, the talented man loses his possibilities of pursuing
his dreams alone. He becomes like a sheep, a herd-like animal, who simply
follows the flock.
Kierkegaard notes that if we truly wanted to live a meaningful life, we would have
to constantly face this unending battle of authenticity in making our finite choices.
Angst fills us over given that once we make one choice, we realize the finitude of
our existence. Just as we have to choose between saving a family member vs. a
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loved one in the classic bridge dilemma, our life as human beings are filled with
such absurdity.
In the even that we reject one, just as the talented man rejects his musical
aptitude for a career in the scientific field, we may have formed shadows.
I see this all the time with kids who supposedly had talents for the arts but are
forced into standard and mechanical courses in order to obtain a stable job.
After graduating that four-year course, yes, the child may have obtained a good
job at a good company, but will always look at that guitarist in their local bar who
eventually became Ed Sheeran as a once in a lifetime talent.
Whereas that child may have surpassed Ed Sheeran in talents (especially in looks
as well), the social influence of the familiar forced him to create a shadow instead
of a light for the path he would walk upon.
In other words, even in our own family, they can become the crowd that
Kierkegaard strongly warns us against. Instead of making our own choices, we
depend on the opinion of our friends, family, and even irrelevant workmates.
This creates judgments, which in-turn creates shadows for us. Before we know it,
we have already lost ourselves in this stream of the crowd, making choices
infinitely irreversible.
But why do people do it anyway?
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Kierkegaard tells us that the appeal of simply going by the crowd’s groove is that
it presents to us a certain level of security. He wrote:
“By getting engaged in all sorts of worldly affairs, by becoming wise about how
things go in this world, such a man forgets himself, forgets what his name is (in
the divine understanding of it), does not dare to believe in himself, finds it too
venturesome a thing to be himself, far easier and safer to be like the others, to
become an imitation, a number, a cipher in the crowd.”
His point in this passage highlights the very notion of inauthenticity. Whereas an
individual is to pursue how he believes life should be lived, he sometimes feels
that he is better off conforming in the crowd.
This primarily is caused by the notion that the crowd provides a certain level of
comfort and security.
Such is usually displayed even in the way we select our music. Most people
simply select the “Top 50” songs even when they don’t really like those songs.
By listening to top bands and artists, one does not need to explain his/herself.
Conformity begets explanation for it is perceived as a standard.
So, whereas, a person truly prefers Beethoven’s Symphony no. 9, that person
listens to Travis Scott’s Sicko Mode even if it is truly a nonsense song.
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When we allow the crowd to persuade and dominate us, we unintentionally create
shadows.
As such, that friend who loves Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, and Vivaldi will be
labeled as weird. Not wanting to be associated to such persons, we forcibly recent
their choice of music.
This same notion applies to all other things we do – from the way we dress,
speak, and live.
By relinquishing our responsibility as individuals to find meaning and value in life,
we dismiss ourselves to the crowd, and together with it our own authentic
meaning.
This whole discussion of Kierkegaard about the subjective self and how it should
be opens up the possibility of understanding shadows and shadow work from a
social context.
When we begin to doubt the social influences around us, this can lead to greater
levels of introspection about ourselves not only by way of looking at our
judgments but also how our judgments are affected by others.
If people simply conformed and subscribed to the ideas of social norms, he would
live a life of despair and inauthenticity, for he knows that the choices that he
makes are not entirely his own.
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Given that we can absorb these ideas, concepts, and notions of how life should
be, they definitely affect our shadows in one way or another.
DETACHING FROM ONE’S ENVIRONMENT: B.F.
SKINNER’S DETERMINISM
In the previous section on Kierkegaard, we have stressed the discussion on the
point of freedom. As free persons, we are able to rationalize and create our own
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decisions, just as we are able to create our own shadows and choose whether or
not to implement shadow work in our lives.
This for Kierkegaard placed man in a position wherein he is ultimately the master
of his own fate – a task of meaning that he must not avoid.
However, this was no easy task. It as a constant internal battle, a quest to
conquer despair and angst.
Due to the extremely difficult path that one has to walk upon should he decide to
be free, individuals surrender.
They surrender their individuality and simply accept the notions of the crowd,
making them vulnerable and susceptible to its corrupting nature.
As individuals give up freedom for security, the have far more less control and
conscious awareness about themselves.
In turn, this creates shadows apart from the ones that they have truly decided
upon.
Surrendering to the crowd makes one less of a human person, with shadows that
are simply a product of socially influenced preferences.
Thus, Kierkegaard pushes this idea that we should be free from this crowd, from
the security of the familiar and the tranquility of repetition as V phrased it.
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But the real question here that nobody is asking is that are we truly free?
Such a question has been repeatedly asked not only in philosophy but also in
psychology, particularly in behaviorism.
This question will be the subject of our next discussion for if freedom is not real,
then does that also mean our shadows are conditioned responses?
If so, are we ultimately responsible for our shadows?
SHADOW WORK EXERCISE: B.F. SKINNER’S OPERANT
CONDITIONING
Before there was a B.F. Skinner and his operant conditioning, we all know of
Pavlov and his classical conditioning.
Accidentally, Ivan Pavlov discovered the concept of classical conditioning as he
was feeding the dogs. Conditioning their response every single time that he
arrived, the dogs already salivated because of the idea that he brought meat with
him.
He furthered this experiment by bringing in a neutral stimulus like the bell, in
which whenever the bell rang, he would feed the dogs some meat.
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Because dogs now associated this ring to food, whenever the bell rang (even
when there was no food), the dogs salivated.
Thus, Pavlov discovered this concept that certain stimulus can condition a
response of an animal.
But this wasn’t enough. In the quest of understanding more about behaviorism,
John Watson took this study to the next level.
This time, he used an actual human baby for his experiment.
He tried to induce a conditioned response from this baby by associating fear with
mice. Initially, the baby didn’t fear the mice.
In order to associate fear, he would make loud sounds whenever the mice
appeared before the baby which conditioned a response – crying.
Eventually, the mice were shown to the baby, without the loud noises. Still, the
baby displayed the conditioned response of crying.
This advancement has influenced B.F. Skinner to further the advancement in the
field of behaviorism.
He furthered this idea of behaviorism by introducing something more than
classical conditioning.
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Unlike classical conditioning, operant conditioning incorporates the idea of
positive and negative reinforcement. This was, most definitely, a synthesis of
Pavlov and Watson’s idea.
Positive reinforcement was a rewards-based scenario while negative
reinforcement was a punishment-based scenario.
Using Freud’s example, potty-training a child while giving him positive
reinforcements such as praises, appreciation, and external rewards leads him to
replicate the same action.
While in negative reinforcement, we utilize the bad consequences scenario in
order to discourage a person in repeating the same action.
A child has become unruly and was sent for detention.
Following negative reinforcement, we assign temporal punishments for the child in
order to “teach a lesson”.
But perhaps, in having this crash course about behaviorism, you are now
wondering how it is related to our shadows?
The thing is, B.F. Skinner eventually became the professor of psychology in
Harvard.
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If you would search his name in google, a list will show that he is currently the
most significant psychologist followed only by Piaget and Freud.
This is primarily because of two things.
First, Skinner swayed away from the classic approach of theories of personality.
While Freud, Horney, and Jung posited certain ideas and theories about the
individual, these remained as assumptions about their psyche.
They didn’t really translate into real world actions which can be observed and
recorded.
Skinner, on the other hand, focused on actual reactions, tendencies, and
behaviors which induced a conditioned response.
Thus, he appropriated that behaviorism is more of a science compared to these
pseudo-metaphysical ideas of the self. Behaviorism presented a concrete and
observable answer, not some inquiry on the nature of human persons.
This was especially true when Skinner conducted an experiment on pigeons.
In his famous experiments on pigeons, Skinner introduced and reinforced a
response to the pigeon. While pigeons randomly turn, he wanted to condition
them to make a full circle turn.
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This is done by giving food whenever the pigeon attempts to turn to the left.
Repetition then leads to behavior as this pigeon completes a full circle turn.
This experiment has led him to conclude that actions, indeed, can be conditioned.
However, this alone did not make him the man he is renowned for today.
It was two other things that engrained him to legendary status.
First, the position that he held favoring determinism and second, the way he
translated this determinism to the social level – behavioral engineering.
The first point on determinism is not an original idea from Skinner.
This is an idea from a philosopher who goes by the name Baron D’Holbach.
According to this idea, man’s actions are not truly free but instead, are
determined. Whatever man’s actions may be, a certain previous stimulus or a
past event influenced him to act in this way.
In D’Holbach’s words, “we’re all just cogs in a machine, doing what were always
meant to do, with no actual volition.”
To evaluate this idea, let us use a thought-experiment.
You recently got a promotion in your job and you finally decided to buy that
pick-up that you have been eyeing for months now.
The inevitable question arises – which color to pick?
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Selecting the color of your pick-up seems to be a manifestation of autonomy and
freedom. As ‘you feel it’ you will be selecting blue for your new Ford Raptor.
Now while we usually think that this choice may have been an expression of
freedom, hard determinists argue that it is not.
In choosing that color, hard determinists tell us that you were influenced by
previous images, advertisements, or even preferences arising from personal
attachments.
You selected the color blue because of that cunning Ford Raptor commercial with
that royal blue color.
Or maybe you chose it because you associated the color to something meaningful
like a family crest or a loved one’s preference.
While it appears that we are free in making this decision, hard determinists think
that we are not. These choices are ultimately choices that we cannot avoid, they
are determined for us just as fate determines what’s next.
In choosing a color, we associate it with something significant. Thus, the illusion
that we feel free is nothing more than an idea but never a reality.
Although Skinner was a behaviorist instead of a determinist, he shared the same
view that our choices are ultimately influenced by something else and that they
are not totally free.
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One may claim that his/her choice is out of his/her own free will but such choices
are almost always influenced by a prior event – thus determined.
While this is far from Skinner’s operant conditioning, the same principle applies.
The responses of individuals on a certain situation can be conditioned by the way
that they were brought up and the culture that they are living in.
If people happened to be kind to others, this can be a conditioned response
based on the society that he grew upon – whether it be positive or negative.
Even if that person grew up from a harsh environment, we may perceive that it
was free will that made him a good person. However, determinists will argue that
it was the harsh environment that shaped this perspective of kindness.
This brings us to Skinner’s second point – behavioral engineering.
For Skinner, this experiments on pigeons proved more than animals following a
conditioned response. He thought that behavior is behavior whether it be in
animals and humans themselves.
While the subjects of his experiments are animals, this doesn’t mean that such is
inapplicable on humans for they are also molded by behavior.
If we are able to apply the same principles to humans, Skinner thought that we
can engineer a society that has new and better behavioral traits and values.
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Religion, for instance, is a way of behavioral conditioning. By presenting dogmatic
precepts, human action is limited by both reward and punishment.
As it is common for religions to present a reward and punishment case, we may
socially induce good behavior by bringing up possible consequences. If you do
good, you might go to heaven. If you do bad, you might go to hell.
These precepts induce a certain behavior, a way of living for people, that is
socially engineered or organized.
And to note, it has been proven in human history that it has nothing to do with the
positive or negative nature of the precept itself. Rather, it has more to do with the
social engineering.
Consider for instance the time wherein the church sold indulgences. After
conditioning the minds of individuals, they can manipulate it to a point that
individuals can believe something even when it is blatantly unjust.
Such is also common in other religions, especially small-scale Christian
denominations who present themselves as sons of God. They can easily
condition and persuade their congregation to give up everything that they have for
them to buy a jet.
This is the supposed power of social conditioning, which led Skinner to believe
that we can also condition the responses of people in a society.
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We have come a long way in briefly discussing Skinner’s idea of society. A quick
run-through on his ideas gives us the notion that the responses of persons can be
conditioned given the right mechanisms.
Should it be real, at least to a certain extent, we can raise the question of are we
truly free?
This is a very crucial question simply because if we have no freedom, we cannot
possibly make our own choices. This means that we are simply products of our
own environment.
Skinner believed that our environment influenced actually more than what we
perceived for we live in this illusion of freedom
Man, from the perspective of hard determinism, can be a result of the processes
and forces before him, ultimately making him who he is right now.
Maybe, in reading this lengthy section, you are now wondering why we had to go
to the process of identifying a possible loophole to man’s supposed freedom and
how it affects our shadows.
The problem is that people often assume that we are free. Although we may feel
free and may actually be free to a certain extent, identifying its bounds is
important if we want to understand more about our shadows.
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Our disposition on human freedom will decide to which extent we will be able to
perform shadow work and integrate our shadows.
For instance, you are in the process of successfully identifying and integrating
your shadows. But in the same way, the whole integration process is an inevitable
result of causality of natural processes and forces. Did we really integrate with our
shadows? Or was that response conditioned by the society before us?
This question is crucial for it challenges the validity of our shadows and the things
that we do to it.
In the previous sections, we have learned that shadows are a result of concept
judgment. But this section raises the bar a bit higher by challenging the
assumption that it is actually us who are calling the shots.
Determinism and behaviorism would have categorized these shadows differently,
not as a result of one’s choice, but an inevitable consequence of how one was
molded to make those choices.
Kierkegaard sought to break us free from this conditioning, the inauthentic crowd
who decides the values for us.
But in breaking away from it, have we done it out of our own volition?
Another point that I would like to stress here is that if we continue this notion that
we are indeed not that free and that our responses are more conditioned and
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caused rather than autonomous, then can we blame ourselves for having these
shadows?
Isn’t it the case that when we admit and surrender to the crowd, it is but the
natural thing to do?
Do we have a responsibility to keep ourselves informed and integrated in this
way? Or is it easier to surrender to the crowd for such fate cannot be stopped?
Our answers to these questions will ultimately determine our disposition regarding
this issue of freedom which in turn, will tell us more about nature and how to
perform shadow work.
DEFYING EXTERNAL FACTORS – VICTOR FRANKL’S
WILL TO MEANING
The question posited by Kierkegaard showed us the dread and anxiety that
comes along with life. As we are born into this world, we have no choice, and as
we leave, we have no choice either.
Similarly, this dread and anxiety is present in the creation of our own shadows.
Without having a choice or an option, in every decision we make, we create
shadows.
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Such creates the ultimate and endless task of man which is to constantly grapple
with his shadows just as he must constantly look for the meaning of his own life.
Giving-up in such a self-project means that we surrender ourselves to the crowd,
and allowing them to govern the values that we abide with.
By surrendering, we also surrender the control of ourselves, furthering the density
of our own shadows.
To add to this predicament, we have seen in B.F. Skinner’s theory that not only
are these shadows a result of our own decisions but more importantly, they are
heavily influenced by the environment around us.
Using operant conditioning, Skinner was able to show us that behavior, indeed,
can be conditioned. By introducing certain stimuli in the environment, an individual
may decide to act into a certain way.
Such leads us to question the limits of our freedom, which in turn affects the
validity of our shadows.
If all my actions right now are determined by a greater force other than my own
free will, then the shadows that arise from these decisions are not wholly mine.
By using this theory on behaviorism coupled with hard determinism, social
engineering of actions can be highly possible.
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Thus, when a child decides to prioritize technical-based work and resent those of
arts and spirituality, this can be a result of how society has been conditioned.
In the creation of shadows that we are not even aware of and have control about,
are we ultimately responsible for them? Or can we do otherwise?
To answer this question, we will examine Viktor Frankl’s Logotherapy.
MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING
Perhaps, World War II was one of the most infamous events in human history.
Often described as the clash between axis and allied forces, the WWII showed
the gruesome side of humanity in as much as it has also shed light to the noble
ones.
At the spotlight was none other than Adolf Hitler, the man deemed responsible for
the beginning of this arc in human history. A lot of atrocities were committed
during this time. One of the most controversial is the concentration camp by Nazi
Germany.
Within these concentration camps, prisoners of war were subject to inhumane
conditions (an understatement).
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In 1938, Austria became German territory. This led to the creation of
concentration camps which included thousands of German Jews. We found in
these camps the infamous Holocaust which meant mass genocide.
In one of these camps, there was a psychiatrist who goes by the name Viktor E.
Frankl. He was of Jewish descent which practically explained why he got caught
up in this tragedy.
As he was processed, Frankl spent the next five months as a slave laborer in
which he has seen the situation of the individuals in the concentration camp.
The peculiar thing about Frankl is that he took the time that he had inside those
camps to observe the reactions of the prisoners.
In seeing how they responded to certain situations, Frankl was able to derive an
understanding about humanity and freedom.
To begin with, let us know what Frankl said as follows:
In attempting this psychological presentation and a psychopathological
explanation of the typical characteristics of a concentration camp inmate, I may
give the impression that the human being is completely and unavoidably
influenced by his surroundings. (In this case the surroundings being the unique
structure of camp life, which forced the prisoner to conform his conduct to a
certain set pattern.) But what about human liberty? Is there no spiritual freedom in
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regard to behavior and reaction to any given surroundings? Is that theory true
which would have us believe that man is no more than a product of many
conditional and environmental factors—be they of a biological, psychological or
sociological nature? Is man but an accidental product of these? Most important,
do the prisoners’ reactions to the singular world of the concentration camp prove
that man cannot escape the influences of his surroundings? Does man have no
choice of action in the face of such circumstances?” (Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search
for Meaning)
In this excerpt, we can see the summary of our previous discussions. By raising
the question on whether or not processes and forces were the ones that
controlled man, Frankl was able to posit the hard determinist and behaviorist
position that Skinner presented.
True enough, perhaps no other place would have best represented this problem
other than the concentration camp.
In these camps, prisoners were not only secluded physically. Psychologically, it
also had a toll on them. Being here was like an epitome of bad fate, that one is
most certainly doomed.
Given this, Frankl presented that there were three main reactions from prisoners
who recently arrived at these camps. First, there was shock given the initial phase
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as they were admitted into the camp. Second, apathy ensued as they became
accustomed to camp existence. Third, negative reactions of depersonalization,
moral deformity, bitterness, and disillusionment happened if ever he survived.
(Viktor Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning)
Unlike Kierkegaard’s context, man can still be free even when he decided to avoid
the crowd for man was not restricted. In the same way, Skinner’s notions were
also based on theory instead of practice and actual experimentation on human
beings.
Frankl’s experience was astounding compared to both of them. While he shared
and questioned both ideas, the context from which it was executed induced
real-life reactions from individuals.
Eventually, due to this experience, Frankl began the psychology of Logotherapy –
the search and restoration of man’s meaning in life. He believed that individuals in
these camps somehow represented the extent of human liberty.
This was illustrated to him when he saw that other inmates, despite the harsh
conditions that they were in, chose to place others first. There were instances
wherein food supply was slowly depleting towards Christmas time and people
were losing hope.
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Some even died just bearing the thought of not being able to escape this horrible
place.
Yet not all gave up, and the stronger willed persons were even able to place
themselves ahead of others.
In the light of these discussions, what does it tell us about human freedom?
While it can be most certainly true that those human actions can be conditioned
and subject to the processes and forces, the divergent actions of some inmates
showed the possibility of freedom.
For instance, eating is a biological action yet can be a conscious choice. Going
into a buffet restaurant and eating beyond your heart’s content gives you the
impression that it was your own choice.
However, when we use this same principle in the scenario of the concentration
camp where food is scarce and the environment is harsh, the meaning of eating
changes.
From being a choice, it becomes more of a need. (not even tendency or habit)
Because people naturally need sustenance in order to survive, they need to eat.
But in this case, we can see that man is not always ultimately subject to such
assumptions. That even man, on harsh conditions, can choose to sway away from
the conditioned choice.
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This leads us to open a possibility for freedom, a leeway from which we can say
that while man may be physically limited and constrained, he is internally free.
Frankl sought the power behind this which led him to this practice of logotherapy
wherein he shows that Man’s search for meaning can be one of the greatest
faculties that he can have.
The question now shifts – what does this tell us about our shadows?
The whole discussion on Kierkegaard, Skinner, and Frankl, wrestled with the idea
of freedom. As we have repeatedly emphasized in these articles, freedom plays a
fundamental role in understanding our actions.
In having this sense of freedom, we also have a sense of control with our
shadows. For if we can ultimately conclude that we are responsible for the
shadows that we face, it also brings us to the realization that we are free to alter
and maneuver them.
If we are purely determined and our actions are mere consequences of prior
events, then we cannot be held accountable for our shadows.
But as we can see here, it is the classic mistake of correlation does not equate to
causation. While it can be true that our actions may very well be correlated to
each other, to say that they are indeed caused is flawed.
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This is because essentially, we can argue that each individual has a freedom of
his or her own.
Using Frankl’s experiences, the liberty of the individual is not always conditioned
by the society and environment around him. Even under harsh circumstances
(even that of life and death), man can always choose to do otherwise.
Such choice is the very expression of his freedom, an outward act to empirically
justify that man indeed can be free.
Given that this is the case, we can also point out that we can be free from our
shadows.
While the shadows that we have can very well be caused by the forces around us,
it doesn’t mean that we are limited to such.
For instance, society causes you to become homophobic given that you hail from
a predominantly Christian culture. Thus, you create a negative view on them even
when you haven’t really made your own choice about it.
This perception, of course, was socially influenced. However, your perception is
not limited to these social formulas.
People can change the way they perceive religion, sexuality, and their own
human existence at any time they wish.
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The power of human will can will itself even beyond what is conditioned of him.
For unlike the pigeon who keeps on making the circular turn in order to be fed,
humans are able to defy such limiting characteristics.
To conclude this section of the shadow work guide, we have to note two important
things.
First – that man is free and rational, making it necessary that he must look and
discover his own self-project.
In creating himself, it is of paramount importance that he considers his shadows
for they speak to him about himself.
Second – that while man is free, man cannot avoid society.
With this freedom, it is not from an omnipotent standpoint. Meaning, he cannot
simply sway away from the confines of society, culture, time, and space.
His actions will almost always be influenced, just as his shadows can be formed
without him knowing.
These two things that we have concluded will lead us to a higher plateau, an
understanding of ourselves that transcends both the individual and the social
spheres of life.
By taking control through shadow work, we become more human.
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HARNESSING SPIRITUAL POWERS
In the previous section of this series, we have seen how the individual and the
social factors contribute in changing the way people decide about themselves.
When we understand them as a result of both our individual and social forces, we
get to widen our scope in perceiving, acknowledging, and interpreting these
shadows.
However, while it is clear how this can be achieved, getting into that state of
achieving it is perhaps the most difficult part.
Just as when you are selling something, it is always the first sale that counts the
most – for it is in that sale that you get to begin the succeeding ones.
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In the same way, starting points are almost always half of the whole burden.
People hesitate to accept that they need to do these starting points.
When people go to the gym, the first payment meeting for the whole month is
almost always the easiest part.
People think that when they are able to start paying for it, their body goals will
automatically come to them.
But as we know right now, it doesn’t work that way.
In the same way, shadow work doesn’t work by simply knowing and studying
these topics.
Rather, it requires a lot of action and commitment from our part to actually live by
the things we have learned.
But how do we do it in such a busy setting?
Are you bored? Open your phone and start scrolling up! This is a classic example
of how people nowadays are eternally trapped by social media.
Following the good tidbits of the life of others posted in our social media
platforms, for instance, consumes a lot of time and energy.
Before we know it, time has already been spent and we can no longer continue
with our quest of acknowledging and integrating our shadows.
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A lot of social factors nowadays can easily distract us on this quest of knowing
and understanding ourselves better.
Thus, it is crucial to disconnect with these distractions and focus more on being
the masters of our own selves.
In this case, we will be exploring ways and ideas from the spiritual level in order to
create an environment within our minds that attract positive energy.
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HARNESSING THE POWER OF MIND: MEDITATION
The First way that we will be exploring today is the power of meditation.
The practice of meditation is difficult to define in a clear-cut way. But following its
root word of meditate, it means focusing one’s mind in silence or chanting as a
method of relaxation.
In this broad definition alone, a lot of different ways can be implored. As a matter
of fact, meditation is a practice that is shared in both western and eastern
cultures.
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