Jung's Model of the Psyche
The Different Aspects Of Who You Are
When I think of "myself," I am thinking of the part of me
which I am conscious of. That is my ego (Latin for "I").
But there is more to me than that ...
There is also my persona (Greek for "mask") which hides
my ego from the outer world. I actively maintain that mask, according to
the conventions of family, society, profession, etc.
There is also my personal unconscious, which contains forgotten
or never-conscious experiences of various kinds, but which is uniquely
my own. And then, there is the collective unconscious which connects
me with the whole human experience.
Within this unconscious realm there are several different "structures."
Though the Self is the whole person, conscious and unconscious together,
it also acts as center, seeking to organize the whole.
Each of us has both masculine and feminine elements in the psyche. Though
the appropriate one becomes incorporated into the conscious ego, the other
expresses itself as an unconscious focus of creative energy, serving the
balance of ego and Self. Jung gave the name anima to the feminine
center of a man, and animus to the masculine center of a woman.
But there is also my Shadow. In a sense, the Shadow is all of
that which is "dark" (unconscious) to me; but in a more special
sense, it can be an activated center ("complex") energized by
repressed feelings, anger, old hurts, etc. If not recognized as such (made
conscious), its energy can be projected onto others. Then the faults
I see in other people are really the mirror image of my own. My first task
of individuation is to "own my own shadow."
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