Shadow Self

Jung's view of the shadow self explores our repressed or hidden motives and desires. He believes that too much focus on the persona - the public face we show to the world - leads to disconnection from our true selves and lack of authenticity.

The desires of the shadow self contain negative impulses that should not be acted upon, but may also include overly stigmatized emotions and drives that can be expressed in healthy ways.

Consider a negative emotion like rage and how it can drive us in athletics, or how lust can fuel the creation of art.

One must find a balancing point between being who society wants us to be - which can be useful for group activities and social cohesion - and acting on our internal drives which make us unique individuals with diverse perspectives and vibrant inner realities.

It is also important to focus on healthy expression, as some of the things we repress - like tribalistic violence - can easily turn to tragic ends.

Discovering ones inner motivations can be done through meditation, mindfulness, dream analysis, and other techniques for exploring the subconscious and unconscious self.