Culture and the Shadow
We are all conditioned by our environment in one way or another. Whether it's our parents telling us to take a certain career path, our teachers telling us to think a certain way, or our society telling us what is normal and acceptable. Our environment conditions us to behave in a certain way since the day we were born. The inevitable result of all of this conditioning is that we must repress certain aspects of our unique-selves. This becomes our shadow in terms of Jungian Psychology. We exchange authenticity for conformity … and this can have a disastrous impact on our psychology down the line.
Our shadow consists of all of the parts of ourselves that we are unable to express in our lives for fear of being ridiculed. A child does not have a shadow (yet) because it hasn’t gone through the process of becoming civil. They do not repress anything, not even poop and pee! They will be radically honest about what they are thinking.
The shadow arises in each of us during the process of inculturation in which certain expressions of our authentic self are systematically repressed. Much of these unexpressed aspects of ourselves would not harm others if given the change to be expressed. Inculturation is not all bad, as it wouldn’t be a good thing to have people going through society harming others as an expression of their authentic self. However, some benign aspects of our psyche end up locked away in the depths of our unconscious as a survival mechanism.
The fear of being exiled from our tribe and culture is the biggest fear each and every one of us must contend with. Deep within our subconscious is the need for belonging, and that need typically outweighs our desire for authentic expression.
How Cultural Immersion Can Help Us Integrate Our Shadow
Fortunately, there are techniques to uncondition our minds! One such technique involves changing our environment. When we embark on a journey to a foreign land, we are far more present with ourselves than when we are in a familiar and comfortable environment. We notice the ways people eat, their social norms, and what is viewed as “normal” for the area.
When exposed to foreign environments, we begin to realize that our conditioned upbringing wasn’t exactly perfect. In fact, no matter where in the world you grew up, the odds that your culture is perfect is exactly 0%. The concept of “normal” is a myth, nothing more than a localized event that occurs in a specific time and location. In other words, “normal” is relative NOT absolute.
Clinging to our conditioned belief structures that no longer serve us into adulthood, parenthood, and beyond is a recipe for a terrible life for ourselves and our children. We could not control our environment during our childhood. We were at the mercy of our parents, teachers, and society. However, as we advance through life, we are given the choice to embark on our unique process of individuation.
Advancing From the Child Archetype to the Warrior Archetype
Typically this occurs around the age of puberty for both men and women. As we begin to assert ourselves in the world and go through a more rebellious phase. We grow to a level of consciousness that is able to view both sides of a certain topic simultaneously. Once we are able to do this, we advance from the child archetype into the warrior archetype.
We find the principles and beliefs (values) that we can stand up and fight for authentically! However, we cannot allow ourselves to become paranoid with the belief that we must always get one up on our perceived enemy as the warrior archetype.
If we fail to think for ourselves, then we will remain in the child archetype. Always looking for a parental figure to tell us what we should do, say, and think. When we work to obtain authentic freedom rather than fearful security, we are able to visit different environments, make our own choices, and ultimately decide for ourselves the best way of life. Hopefully in the pursuit of truth and only becoming a rebel when there is a worthy cause.
Read Next: Self-Programming - The Key to Embodying the King or Queen Archetype
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