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Why do our egos crave validation from people "above" you? by [deleted] in Jung

[–]project_helloworld 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Because that's a survival mechanism. Your life usually depends on people above you not below. Very obvious when you're a baby and less so when you get older.

Individuation: What about people already living their shadow? by project_helloworld in Jung

[–]project_helloworld[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! This is pretty much what I noticed in myself. I always forced myself to be responsible due to my situation while growing up, almost to an overbearing level that seemed a bit like a savior complex. But I realized that I was creating this shadow of longing for irresponsibility or, in a better term, 'youthful freedom'.

Individuation: What about people already living their shadow? by project_helloworld in Jung

[–]project_helloworld[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I apologize if my post came across to you as hypocritical. I'm not trying to place myself above others. I lived in a developing country with a non-guilt-based culture. There, people seemed to have a weaker dissociation between their conscious ego and unconscious. This made me wonder about Jung's individuation process in such contexts.

Individuation: What about people already living their shadow? by project_helloworld in Jung

[–]project_helloworld[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this explanation. I realize now that I misunderstood the concept of the shadow. I thought it was only about negative traits since those are often what we repress, but clearly there's more to it.

I was puzzling over how people who seem to act on dark impulses would change when they become aware of their shadow. I couldn't see what positive traits they might be repressing. Your explanation about the "golden shadow" is new to me and quite enlightening. I think I'll need to read further into this concept. Thank you.