According to psychologist Carl Jung, humans
have an innate tendency to use a particular set
of symbols to understand the world.

He refers to these symbols as archetypes.

We are “hardwired” with archetypes.

Each archetype can be thought of as having
a general form that will vary only slightly
from culture to culture and from ere to era.

The Shadow is one of the most important of
the archetypes, it can be thought of as our
"dark side".

The Shadow consists of those parts of our
being that are instinctual, rejected and pushed
to the unconscious. Examples include resent-
ments, obsessions and shameful memories,
and emotions such as envy, jealousy, depres-
sion and rage.

The Shadow is often projected out onto
others, whom we then view with disdain.

It is often the goal of Jungian analysis to
increase our awareness of the Shadow, ac-
knowledge it as part of ourselves, draw on
its energy, and integrate it into a psyche
that is more balanced and whole, one that is
more aware and less conflicted - all this,
without acting out the Shadow's darker
impulses.

Finally, the Shadow is often personified,
and then incorporated into our dreams,
literature, and media.

Examples of the Shadow in media include:
Darth Vader of Star Wars, Mr. Hyde of
Stevenson's Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and
Lord Voldemort of JK Rowling's Harry Potter
series.