There is something interesting about the unconscious ; it is not only a place where contents or issues that have lost intensity go to lie. Jung would argue that the unconscious has a more complex role. It performs retrospective and prospective functions; it is able to look backwards into the past , look forward into the future, and present a solution to a challenge that we are yet to fathom in the conscious.
Psychology can make you go hmmmm, but that is the beauty of it. Man, trying to figure out what goes on in man. I love it because I feel it’s a lifelong task, just like medicine, there is always something to discover that heals or ails the body. These are professions that allow you to do your part and leave the rest for those coming after.
So back to Tanya, why would a person see goodness and kindness in another but still reject it? Why would a person have the desire to be good to someone only so they can conceal the resentment they harbour for that same person? I read the case notes of someone who said; He couldn’t disrespect his mother but he couldn’t love her either, so it was easier to create a farce at least that was how he viewed the relationship. What this means is that he coexisted peacefully with someone he hated for the longest time. This can be hard to comprehend, knowing that there are people who can’t even sit in a room with someone they don’t like.
Now, There is something I often think about , when I reflect on Jungs archetype which simply put are the residues of our generational emotional life, this is not a psychology class, but I would want you to think about this in your own life or that of those around you.
So here goes: Each of us have motives, desires, and tendencies that are unacceptable and so tend to push them beneath the surface, in other wards back to our unconscious . Jung calls this , the inferior, undesirable part of our personality, also known as the ‘Shadow’. And I would like to add here that somewhere in the bible, it says that the heart of man is dangerously wicked. If these hidden tendencies represent the wickedness a man’s heart possesses, then the shadow can be depicted as this evil little silhouette following one around? An eerie assumption if you ask me.
But, the question would be , do these traumas that are experienced in childhood create conditions that make it easy for the human being to project their shadows onto others and feel less guilty or worried because they operate from the unconscious and do not realise the impact of their actions? And if we accepted this as true, would we find it easier to forgive wrongs?
Please share your thoughts on this . I really would want to hear them.
Next week, we look at the different ways passive-aggressive personality disorder manifests. I really love this topic , so I would really love you to stay with me on this series.