With Halloween around the corner, I thought it would be a good opportunity to explore our dark sides. Leaders must be fully aware of themselves, including those parts which are buried or hidden. These unseen parts of ourselves are referred to in Jungian psychology as our shadows. Often, leaders fail to find inspiration or inspire others because their shadows get in their way.

The Shadow

Carl Jung, the founder of analytical psychology and mentee of Sigmund Freud, defined our shadows as “an unconscious aspect of the personality which the conscious ego does not identify in itself” (Youth-Eisendrath and Dawson 1997: 319). The Jungian ‘shadow’ may include both positive and negative attributes of which an individual may not be aware of. These attributes and behaviors form at a young age as survival strategies.

Shadows come in two general varieties: sinister and golden. Our sinister shadows are those deeply held wounds and beliefs which lead to behaviors that sabotage or undermine our success and relationships. These are the behaviors which we engage in against our best interests (and better judgements).

Our golden shadows are those deeply held wounds and beliefs which lead to obscuring or denying our strengths and talents. These show up as the suppression of our personal power.

 

Identifying Shadows

Our shadows have a profound grip on our behavior. To overcome the power our shadows have over us, we must shine light on them and make them known. The following is a simple activity to begin to explore your shadows:

1) On a piece of paper, write the name of someone who drives you nuts.
2) Write the top two or three things about them that you cannot stand.
3) Look at the things you have written and think about the following:
• Where else have these attributes appeared in your life?
• Are these characteristics that you have?
• Are they patterns that you have struggled against since childhood?
• Why do these characteristics stand out as bad?
This gives you a glimpse of some of your sinister shadows.
4) Repeat with someone who you greatly admire. This gives you a glimpse of some of your golden shadows.
Remember, the world is a mirror upon which we project our hidden selves.

 

Tim Dzurilla

Graduate Assistant, Leadership Learning Community

Sources:
Young-Eisendrath, P. and Dawson, T. 1997. The Cambridge Companion to Young. Cambridge University Press.

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