Jung's Shadow Archetype: Relevance to Women and Femininity and Coping Strategies

Abstract

Until the late twentieth century women worldwide were classified as inferior, based on collective concepts ingrained in humankind as a whole. Women are indeed viewed as such in many parts of the world to this day. The collective world of the unconscious is a subject on which Jung elaborates. He also writes about the domain of archetypes, positing a universal program according to which humankind acts and is acted upon, involving superstructures and depths. The word archetype is composed of the prefix "archi", meaning primal, original, and "type", meaning pattern or model. It thus refers to a template that is built into the human psyche at an early stage. Archetypes project a primeval, panhuman image that derives in its entirety from the collective unconscious. This unconscious contains memories and content belonging to humanity as a whole, constituting a common tissue connecting all mortals at all times. The reference is thus to a mega-program that serves as the inspiration for the creation of unique personal programs for each individual. Key archetypes according to Jung's theory include, among others: the universal mother, primal man, the ego, the child, God, birth and death, and personality. The two central archetypes discussed herein are the "shadow" and "anima and animus."