Shadow Interpretations

This essay is an attempt to explore the theory of shadow projections and their importance within the therapeutic context. Jung’s model of the psyche identifies a series of personified structures that are in constant interaction with one another in the internal world of the psyche. These include the persona and the anima/animus, one pertaining to the external world and the other to the internal mechanisms of the mind and psyche. The ego serves as the precursor to the personality which also is responsible for the projections of the shadow out into the world. These structures combined are what form an individual’s identity and do not act as solo elements but rather are in constant relationship and exchange with one another. Jung’s theory

She was diagnosed with Bi-Polar disorder at some point in her life, to which never stopped her from abusive use of illicit drugs and parading herself and life on social media to gain recognition and validation. By identifying my aversion to her I was able to look at what qualities resided within myself or that were supressed at one point in time. This brought to my attention my inability to exert the exhibitionist confidence that she herself felt so comfortable displaying. One of my personal outlets used to be writing, personal reflection pieces about my perceptions of the world and what I found to be true and remarkable. This withered as a felt overexposed by my honesty with the world as well as feeling “full of myself” for sharing the contents of my writing with others. I was essentially supressing the exhibitionist within myself. Coming to terms with this meant that I was able to acknowledge and understand the origins of my frustrations which eventually lead me to write

Working with the shadow, is not an easy task and requires an acceptance of the challenge to endure confrontations with the unconscious and the self, some of which may not be all that desirable. Jung infers in Tacey (2012) that “the shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality” and requires considerable “moral effort” (Tacey, 2012). Therapy serves as a container for this process, however projections may also play out within the therapeutic relationship. These may need to be identified and owned early on in the alliance formation of the relationship to be of benefit to the therapist and the