Understanding Our Inner-Self
Nobody can achieve happiness through preconceived ideas, one should rather call it a gift of the gods. It comes and goes, and what has made you happy once does not necessarily do so at another time” – Carl Jung
Contemplating the meaning of happiness and what makes us happy as we know differs for us all. For example, having a slice of chocolate cake may bring temporary happiness, running ten miles, earning more money, starting a family, watching a box set or getting a good nights sleep can all equally bring us the temporary emotion we call “happiness”.
For some of us we may find that we experience natural highs and lows in life which I fundamentally believe are normal. To wake up ecstatic each day, in my opinion doesn’t seem authentic, (though I do not doubt someone, somewhere on the planet possibly does).
This quest for happiness that humans seek, perhaps equally to wanting “success” is interesting to observe on the basis of what it is that drives us in believing that:
They are not happy unless they have more
They believe that happiness exists in another place
There is a destination for this emotion “happiness”
In considering the journey into ourselves to better understand who we are and our hidden aspects of the self we are not fully awake to, requires us to put some time aside where we are able to see past our social mask and inner demons to reach a stable place of experiencing happiness frequently, though not consistently.
Reaching our full potential through observing Carl Jung’s “archetypes” is a starting place for those of you who are unsure where to begin.
Carl Jung, one of my favourite psychotherapists based his work on the “archetypes” of humans. Jung, like many others, had his work criticised by others in the psychology field due to Jung’s work appearing “mystical” and often “pseudoscientific” – that which, cannot be evidence or scientifically evaluated. Nevertheless, according to Jung the archetype is an innate tendency which moulds and transforms the individual ego/consciousness. Jung talks about the archetype (also called “primordial image”) as of the biologists’ patterns of behaviour (inborn behaviour patterns). In short, archetypes are inborn tendencies which shape the human behaviour.
We can say that archetypes resemble the instincts in that they cannot be recognized as such until they manifest in intention or action. The archetype is psychoid (psychic-like); it shares both psychic and material aspects and acts as well on a psychic and/or material plane.
Jung believed these archetypes contain elements of our personality that we need to address in order to develop a healthy personality. He suggested that by working through these archetypes, we can begin to choose our actions rather than responding automatically from patterns in our personalities that no longer serve us.
Jung argued that by working through the archetypes in the following order, we can achieve spiritual development and become whole.
The Shadow Archetype:
According to Jung, integrating the Shadow aspects of our psyche is the first step in our spiritual growth.
The shadow represents the uncovered aspects of ourselves, the “dark side of the psyche” that perhaps we have repressed out of fear of judgement, ridicule or humiliation. Jung felt that the personal qualities we deny, repress or ignore never disappear, instead we “tuck them away” into our unconscious. People can repress emotions or qualities for many reasons, for example in feeling that we they remain “protected” from harm, either emotionally or physically if we hide the darker parts of self. A child may learn to repress strong emotions such as rage or grief because they are afraid these emotions may severely distress another family member.
However, channelling what is perceived as a negative emotion such as rage or aggression, and redirecting it towards a positive outlet such as a sport can help resolve those darker aspects of the self. This not only helps the individual to accept their shadow selves, but also integrate them into their conscious.
The Persona
This is the public image of someone. The original word persona means mask, so the mask we wear in public in order to impose a certain image about us: father, mother, artist, etc. Persona is therefore a result of social adaptation that plays an important role in dealing with peers.
The personamay be excessive, that is, it may suggest a personality that has nothing natural but it is pure fiction. This is usually the case with politicians, mass-media stars, anyone who claims to have a special role to play in social life.
he Persona often contains an element of “people pleasing”. It is important to understand that we are not our personas in order to allow the Self to fully develop. If we identify too closely to our Persona it can inhibit delay our spiritual growth. Someone who is fixed into one Persona, for example, a workaholic, might need to learn to identify less with that Persona and develop other areas of their personality.
Anima and Animus
Once we have integrated the Shadow, we may find elements of the Anima/Animus arise in our consciousness. The Anima is the feminine aspect of a man’s unconscious while the Animus is the male aspect of the female unconscious. Integrated human beings are made up of a balance of ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ energies.
However, society and our upbringing may have caused us to repress traits viewed as belonging to the opposite gender. In order to become whole, we must integrate both the masculine and feminine into our psyche.
Feminine and masculine archetypes contain a mixture of positive and negative traits. When unbalanced, we may behave in stereotypical ways. For example, a man might be too competitive without the complementary feminine nurturing aspect.
Similarly, a woman may become too passive without the masculine competitive element. To be clear, these are really just labels we have given these attributes and not necessarily inherent characteristics of either men or women.
To be whole, we need to aim for a balance of ‘feminine’ and ‘masculine’ elements in our psyche. Dreaming of a person of the opposite sex can be a sign that we need more balance. We can help to balance our feminine and masculine energies by consciously developing attributes traditionally associated with the opposite gender, such as assertiveness or nurturing.
The Self
Last but not least, the Self.
The Self is often represented by the wise man/wise woman archetype. According to Jung, the Self is the overall psyche, with all its potential included. This is the part of the psyche that looks forward, that contains the drive toward fulfilment and wholeness. In this, the Self was said to drive the process of individuation (the journey towards understanding ourselves), the quest of the individual to reach his or her fullest potential.
Ultimately, whether we like it or not humans go through the process of individuation due to the events we may endure in life; some unexpected and painful experiences which force us to grow and to change. However, as we know learning from our experiences which may have caused us hurt and anger doesn’t happen with ease. Sometimes we need support to guide us for example therapy.
Facing your shadow and balancing out your psyche with the feminine and masculine aspects of yourself can start with you keeping a journal of your inner fears, worries and the parts of who you are that do not like. Observe the dreams you have, what roles do you play in the dreams? What characters are you drawn to in films and books you read? Often the answers to these questions can provide us with an insight into the darker elements of our psyche.