Integrating the Shadow: A Jungian Approach to Understanding Psychological and Social Dynamics

Most people enter into therapy in an attempt to relieve personal suffering and symptom reduction, but for those that decide to continue in longer-term therapy, analysis, or dedicate themselves to further personal development often become more aware of their blind spots, unconscious motivations, patterns of self-sabotage, and personal shadow (the part of the self that is outside of conscious awareness or includes repressed thoughts or feelings). They often begin to develop greater self-compassion, deeper understanding of the impact of transgenerational trauma, family of origin dysfunction, and the impact of socio-economic, cultural, societal, and even historical influences. Ultimately, therapy can help clients become more integrated, conscious, and self-aware as a human being. 

However, one barrier I have noticed within the mental health field is the over-emphasis on the individual’s pathology to the exclusion of societal, cultural, economic, spiritual/religious, and even technological influences. An individual does not exist within a vacuum, and it can be profoundly helpful to approach psychotherapy from this perspective. One can gain a deeper understanding of the self by exploring influences, factors, and events that contribute to the current presentation of symptomology, as well as inner strengths and resiliency. While a diagnosis can be empowering, helpful, and even liberating for some clients, it can also be stigmatizing, re-traumatizing, or disempowering for others. No healthcare professional would blame a patient with a broken leg for bleeding, so why would any other professional blame or shame a patient with psychological or emotional wounds that result from surviving traumatic experiences. These symptoms are as natural as breathing, and it is often our societal discomfort with and our inability to properly support individuals who have survived traumatic circumstances that often leads many to deny, minimize, dismiss, pathologize, or simply turn away from. 

Bullying, Scapegoating, & The Identified Patient

In Thomas Szasz’s book The Manufacture of Madness, he traces the historical roots of modern

psychiatry back to tactics, methods, language, and power dynamics used during the inquisition and witch trials. Szasz details the historical use of violence, coercion, and scapegoating to enforce certain norms and prejudices in an attempt to protect the dominant group and perceived social cohesion. He notes “Beginning in the thirteenth century, all manner of misfortunes—from failing crops to epidemics—were blamed on witches or Jews; their massacre became an accepted social practice.”  Szasz argues that during the transition from churches and religious institutions as the primary source of power and claim to objective Truth to that of secular and scientific institutions, similar psychological and social dynamics continued only using different language. 

…The cultural climate, as in any other, there were still the disadvantaged, the disaffected, and the men who thought and criticized too much. Conformity was still demanded. The nonconformist, the objector, in short, all who denied or refused to affirm society’s dominant values, were still the enemies of society…Its internal enemies were thus seen as mad; and Institutional Psychiatry came into being, as had the Inquisition earlier, to protect the group from this threat. Individuals who did not fit in with societal norms, such as individuals who were poor or orphaned. Thomas Szasz

Szasz documents cases where unemployed men, destitute individuals, prostitutes, women who were not obedient to their husbands, and those who were physically disabled could be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital. “The result is a pervasive conceptualization of social nonconformity as a contagious disease—that is the mythology of mental illness.” While modern psychiatry has changed and there is a far greater understanding of trauma-informed care, cultural sensitivity, and the impact of transgenerational trauma and poverty, there are clear remnants of historical roots and stigmatization of those who are scapegoated by their family or society at large. 

In working with hundreds of individuals and families over the past thirteen years, it becomes easier and easier to identify who is the scapegoat or identified patient, hero child, enabler, and the most psychologically or physically disordered individual whom the family system revolves around. Typically, the scapegoat or identified patient is brought to therapy by their parents, partner, or of their own desire to “fix” themselves; however, the scapegoat is typically the most sensitive, observant, or strongest individual of the family unit. It is for this they are attacked or “sacrificed” and also because they see beyond the denial, false family narrative, and serve as a distraction from the primary issues in the family. The hero individual in the family has their own challenges as they often struggle with perfectionism, workaholism, and it may take longer to come to terms with and truly recognize the family dysfunction.

Family Systems Roles

It is truly profound to watch these same family system dynamics unfold in groups, organizations, social, and political movements, as well as nations. Often, the “scapegoat,” “other,” “outcast,” “freak,” or “underdog” is attacked, punished, and made an example of to enforce dominant norms or to help the disordered individual to maintain power and control. The psychologist Jennifer Freyd coined the term DARVO (deny, attack, and reverse victim and offender position) to better explain the psychological mechanism behind intimate partner violence, abuse, and scapegoating. Understanding how effective scapegoating, gaslighting, and psychological abuse is can help people break free from these dynamics in their own lives and protect against these common tactics on both an individual and organizational/collective level. Furthermore, the attempt to de-historize, minimize, suppress, or censor an individual’s or group’s lived experience is another form of shadow projection or psychological abuse. 

Jungian or Depth Psychology, as well as many spiritual, religious, and healing paths aim to improve awareness and consciousness of the true or deeper self, encourage reflection, as well as taking inventory of one’s blind spots, faults, destructive tendencies, and unconscious patterns. For Jung, individuation is the path to wholeness and psychological integration. To undergo this process, one must be willing to take off their mask or persona and have the courage to make contact with their own shadow and repressed feelings—aspects of the self that are often ignored or that we cut ourselves off from, because it can be a challenging and difficult process that requires honesty and courage. This process also involves balancing the anima/animus (internal feminine and masculine aspects), tension of the opposites, and recognizing our capacity for both good and evil that resides within us. The more integration of the shadow or the greater the willingness to feel, look at, and acknowledge these disowned parts and accept them with compassion and love, the more whole we become and the more we can stop shadow-projection and hold compassion for the other, scapegoat, outcast, madman, or the other.

Persona

The process of shadow-work or individuation is no small task, but, collectively, the more we take responsibility for our own psychological healing, the more empowered we become. Furthermore, at this time in history, self-understanding and self-discovery could not be more important. With multiple converging, existential issues, including climate change, widespread pollution, the potential for global water crisis, the rapid development of artificial general intelligence (AGI), increased inflation and income inequality, socio-political turmoil, nuclear proliferation, and increased automation and weaponized AI, which could lead to more frequent conflicts, erosion of seemingly stable institutions, the permanent loss of millions of jobs, and profound psychological and societal changes. Never before in known history has humanity faced such critical global issues. 

According to the World Values Survey, an international research project respondents indicated growing support for authoritarian leaders, which is not surprising to experts. Many psychologists indicate that during times of increased uncertainty, people tend to seek stability and order, which they believe they will find in strong leaders. In addition, during times of crisis, psychological research shows us that the reptilian brain and flight, fight, freeze (FFF) response is activated as the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in higher level thinking such as decision-making, critical thinking, planning, and regulating emotions and behavior shuts down. In essence, instinctual responses based upon fear take over and it becomes more difficult to think rationally. Perhaps this, along with the increased widespread use of social media and targeted algorithms, which also attempt to promote content in an addictive manner to increase profits, cultivates states fear, insecurity, or anger in their users. In this kind of environment to think calmly and coherently could be interpreted as a revolutionary act. 

When we look at human history, we see only what happens on the surface, and even this is distorted in the faded mirror of tradition. But what has really been happening eludes the inquiring eye of the historian, for the true historical event lies deeply buried, experienced by all and observed by none. It is the most private and most subjective of psychic experiences. Wars, dynasties, social upheavals, conquests, and religions are but the superficial symptoms of a secret psychic attitude unknown even to the individual himself, and transmitted by no historian; perhaps the founders of religions give us the most information in the world…In our most private and most subjective lives we are not only the passive witnesses of our age, and its sufferers, but also its makers. We make our own epoch.” CG Jung

 Jung, C. G., & Sabini, M. (2002). The Earth Has a Soul: C.G. Jung on Nature, Technology & Modern Life. North Atlantic Books.

Szasz, T. (1997). He Manufacture of Madness : A Comparative Study of the Inquisition and the Mental Health Movement. Syracuse University Press.