4 Shadow Behavior & How To Avoid It
It’s always standing right behind us, just out of view. In any direct light, we cast a shadow ! And every human being is susceptible to this. Exploring your shadow can lead to greater authenticity, creativity, energy, and personal awakening. With this article delight let’s inspect 4 Shadow Behavior & How To Avoid It !
What is the Shadow Behavior ?
Shadow Behaviors are unconscious behaviors that come out unintentionally. Shadow Behaviors are often responses to events or triggers that cause you to act negatively; such as aggression, criticism, or rudeness. The shadow is the “dark side” of our personality because it consists chiefly of primitive, negative human emotions and impulses like rage, envy, selfishness, desire, and the striving for power.
This repression of unwanted parts creates what psychologist Carl Jung called the personal shadow.
As Jung writes in Psychology and Alchemy:
“There is no light without shadow and no psychic wholeness without imperfection.”
Sometimes we do things we instantly regret, like snapping at a friend. This might make you ask, “why the heck did I do that?” Those moments are almost always due to your Shadow coming out in the strangest of ways.
“The shadow is a moral problem that challenges the whole ego-personality, for no one can become conscious of the shadow without considerable moral effort. To become conscious of it involves recognizing the dark aspects of the personality as present and real. This act is the essential condition for any kind of self-knowledge.”— Carl Jung, Aion(1951)
We all have a shadow lurking within us !
4 Shadow Behavior & How To Avoid It
Frequently playing the ‘victim’ of every situation
This shadow behavior is simply a way to prevent being exposed as something you don’t want to be. By playing the victim you’re not seen as bad and you don’t have to take responsibility. You create havoc and then wear the victim mentality on your sleeves as a badge of honor.
A quick temper with people in lower positions
This one makes me think about the Chain of Screaming which is a theory presented by Barney Stinson in the television series How I Met Your Mother. Marshall, one of the main characters, was yelled at by his boss Arthur . Now, Arthur’s boss’ boss was yelled at by her boss and that she, in turn, yells at Arthur’s boss so Arthur’s boss yells at Arthur and Arthur yells at Marshall. Marshall, then, yells at his wife Lily, so Lily yells at the kids in Kindergarten where she works. So we see that people tend to take their anger out towards people of lower positions of power. Real life example is people in the customer service who have the darkest shadows since they are always forced to put on a happy demeanor regardless of inner turmoil.
Pointing out one’s own insecurities as flaws in others
A father who’s a liar may punish his son extra hard because of lying, simply because he is confronted with himself. Internet trolling is another example; it’s like people hate to see other people somehow ‘getting away’ with just presenting themselves the way they present themselves, probably because these trolls are afraid to do that themselves. Basically, what happens with the projection is that people see their own darkness in others.
A tendency to harshly judge others
This is about judging others because deep down you’re afraid that people will judge you in that harsh way. It’s reassuring that you’re on the side of the judge instead of the judged. That’s why people that were bullied often turn into bullies themselves. They think that as long as they bully other people they evade bullying themselves.
How To Avoid These Shadow Behaviors ? | 4 Shadow Behavior & How To Avoid It
Recognizing the Trigger | How To Stop Shadow Behavior
The first step to stopping Shadow Behavior is to recognize what triggered you. When you are thinking of a time that a Shadow Behavior popped up, look at this list to try and discover what triggered the reaction.
Internal Triggers : Memory, Pain, Muscle tension, Medicine/alcohol, Thought pattern
External Triggers : An event, An Argument, A smell, A specific place or date, News you heard that day
Perhaps some emotional wound is still lingering in your mind and something brought it up, causing you to react. It’s always helpful trying remember the moment, and reflect on what happened.
Exploring the Root Cause | How To Stop Shadow Behavior
Now that you have recognized the trigger, you can start looking at what is the root cause of the reaction. One of the hardest parts is recognizing and remembering a Shadow Behavior. Once you got that down, it makes the rest possible. So you have to have to do the exploration work !!
Bringing Awareness | 4 Shadow Behavior & How To Avoid It
After you have explored the Shadow behind the behavior, you are bringing it into your conscious mind. This doesn’t mean it’s over. You are only going to change your behavior if you are aware of it. And try to catch it before you act out. It will take time and practice. Just noticing your behavior patterns will help your conscious mind to begin to change them. It’s a slow process, but it’s how we grow as a person.
Final Takeaway | 4 Shadow Behavior & How To Avoid It
Shadow Work is about integrating the repressed aspects of your identity and bringing them closer to your awareness. Addressing the shadow is incredibly tricky for us leaders because although we have a strong impulse to “help” others, we have to first help ourselves by addressing the shadow within. So if you are serious about wanting to change your behavior, then you would like to unlock your Shadow with the understanding of 4 Shadow Behavior & How To Avoid It.
Read also : Do The Stroop Effect Experiment Yourself | How Our Brain Processes Information ! https://thebrightdelights.com/do-the-stroop-effect-experiment-yourself-how-our-brain-processes-information/