This episode of Living Myth begins with a consideration of psychological characteristics of the archetype of the king. In its positive form the king archetype is often connected to the sun which appears as a unifying force that brings warmth and light along with generosity and life enhancing generativity. Since it is the nature of archetypes to manifest negative as well as positive energies, the shadow king manifests the dark side of power, the corrupt side of ruling and the backside of humanity that everyone else must suffer.

The dark side of the king archetype appears as the tyrant or dictator who rules by fear and force, who seeks to control everything, while growing increasingly vindictive and destructive. The old term for the kind of arrogance and psychological inflation that causes a person to run amok and violate the natural order of things was hubris. When those stricken with hubris are given power, they display a great insolence and recklessness that leads to a shattering of norms and breaking of laws with callous disregard for any damage done or suffering caused to other people.

At a time when the world is experiencing a rise of dictators and autocrats, some psychologists are describing a Hubris Syndrome that shows how destructive patterns intensify the longer an afflicted person is in a position of power. Pride may come before a fall, but overbearing hubris can be said to come before a complete implosion and collapse. It becomes increasingly important for the future of democracy and the well-being of humanity that we all learn to see more clearly how the psychological disorders of those given positions of great power can plunge enormous numbers of people and even entire countries into unnecessary levels of division and disaster.

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