Finding Philemon – Red Book Study Group

Presented by New Jungian Book Club, CAJS and Shane Eynon

November 10, 2019 Post (from Module 1)

Hello. I am going to give some very simple definitions of Jungian concepts. These are the basics to make
sure we're all on the same page in terms of understanding.

Persona: This is the ideal of how you want to see yourself and how you'd like others to see you. It
literally translates to 'mask'. Clinically, many adults tend to confuse their persona with their ego. A
person can have more than one persona. A some point this is a conscious process and it eventually
becomes habitual. People generally form their persona during adolescence and then shape it gradually
in adulthood. The persona is essentially a function of feeling (values), but it can (and often is) created
and shaped by social forces.

Ego-Consciousness: Jung tended to use ego-consciousness and not just 'ego'. The word literally
translates to 'I" in the English language. It basically functions as a mediator between society and the
unconscious, but it is much more than that. It is generally understood to be 'Awareness'. For Jung, the
entire endeavor of his work was to expand the scope of ego-consciousness to incorporate the
unconscious.

Shadow: The Shadow is typically very misunderstood in my clinical experience. Many people will identify
this or that as Shadow, and not be correct. First, it is always unconscious. It corresponds to the Freudian
"Id". For Jung, the Shadow is the repressed repository of everything that is diametrically opposed to the
Persona. It can only typically be detected in projections. When we 'hate' another person's actions or
personality, it typically is a projection from the Shadow. Unfortunately, a lot of good traits can get
repressed into the Shadow depending on how the Persona is constructed. Where ego-consciousness is
"light' the repressed parts of the personality are in it's shadow. Understanding and discovering the
contents of the Shadow actually tends to make people much more understanding, compassionate, and
empathetic.

Complexes: Everyone tends to go straight for the Archetypes because they seem magical, cool, and
stuff. Typically, while not very 'sexy' the complexes are the gateway into the deeper realms of the
unconscious. Complexes are today called 'issues' or 'triggers'. Complexes are formed of completely
personal experiences. In essence, they are feeling-toned (emotional) psychological wounds. You can
have a complex around almost any life experiences. For example, an inferiority complex is a shame-
based issue that is linked to multiple life experiences that the psyche has globbed together. Complexes
can, and often do, overwhelm the mediating and reality-testing capacities of the ego when triggered. At
the core of each complex is an archetypal theme or motif. Complexes are slightly different than trauma
due to the emotional energy load carried (libido). Complexes are powerful, but trauma is 1000
megawatts larger and can permanently re-shape the landscape of the psyche.

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