Philosophies for Life 74: Carl Jung - How Your Dark Side Can Make You A Hero (Jungian Philosophy)
Mar 14, 2025
17:11
In this podcast we will be talking about how your dark side can make you a hero, according to the philosophy of Carl Jung. Carl Jung's psychology is called analytical psychology and his philosophy is dubbed as “Jungian philosophy”. Jung’s most famous theory is ‘the individuation process.’
According to Jung, the human mind or psyche is made up of the conscious mind, which we are aware of, and the unconscious mind, which we are not aware of. Our unconscious mind is further divided into the personal unconscious, where things we've forgotten or repressed reside, and the collective unconscious, which holds shared memories and ideas of humanity known as archetypes. Archetypes are universal, symbolic patterns and themes that recur across cultures and throughout history. One of the key archetypes is "The Hero," representing the individual's journey towards self-discovery and growth. Although absolutely related, this is not to be confused with the immensely popular Hero's Journey storytelling mechanic, where a protagonist goes on an adventure, overcomes an obstacle, grows from the experience, and goes home. This Hero's Journey often involves confronting and integrating the shadow, another important concept in Jungian philosophy. The shadow lives in the personal unconscious and is the part of our mind where we hide all the traits and desires we don't like or can't accept about ourselves, such as anger, jealousy, or fear. Although the shadow might seem scary or mysterious, understanding and accepting it is vital for personal growth. By facing these hidden parts of ourselves, we stop wasting energy on hiding them and instead use that energy positively. This process of integrating your shadow, your dark side, helps you become more whole and balanced, which is key to becoming the Hero in your own life. Which is why in this video, we will be talking about what the hero archetype is, and how embracing your darkness could be the key to becoming a hero.
So here are the steps you need to take so that your dark side can make you a hero, according to the philosophy of Carl Jung.
01. Get To Know The Hero Archetype
02. Get To Know Your Darkness
03. Face The Darkness
04. Face The Light
05. Be Yourself
I hope you enjoyed listening to this podcast and hope that this wisdom on how to your dark side can make you a hero, from the philosophy of Carl Jung will be helpful in your life.
Carl Jung, together with Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler, is one of the 3 founders of psychoanalysis which is a set of psychological theories and methods aiming to release repressed emotions and experiences - in other words, to make the unconscious conscious. Jung was born in Switzerland in 1875 and died in 1961, leaving behind great works in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philosophy, psychology and religious studies. Jung had Freud as a mentor for a good part of his career but later he departed from him. This division was painful for Jung and it led him to found his own school of psychology, called analytical psychology as a comprehensive system separate from psychoanalysis. If classical psychoanalysis focuses on the patient’s past, as early experiences are very important in personality development, analytical psychology primarily focuses on the present, on mythology, folklore, and cultural experiences, to try to understand human consciousness. One of the most important ideas of analytical psychology which Jung founded is the process of individuation, which is the process of finding the self - something Jung considered an important task in human development. While he did not formulate a systematic philosophy, he is nonetheless considered a sophisticated philosopher - his school of thought dubbed “Jungian philosophy”. Its concepts can apply to many topics covered in the humanities and the social sciences. A good part of his work was published after his death and indeed there are still some articles written by him that to this day have yet to be published. Some of his most important books are: “Psychology of the Unconscious”, “Man and His Symbols”, “The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious”, “Modern Man In Search of a Soul”, “The Psychology of the Transference”, “Memories, Dreams, Thoughts”, and “The Relations Between the Ego and the Unconscious”. Besides being a great writer and a researcher, he was also an artist, a craftsman and even a builder. His contribution is enormous and there is a great deal we can learn from his works.
According to Jung, the human mind or psyche is made up of the conscious mind, which we are aware of, and the unconscious mind, which we are not aware of. Our unconscious mind is further divided into the personal unconscious, where things we've forgotten or repressed reside, and the collective unconscious, which holds shared memories and ideas of humanity known as archetypes. Archetypes are universal, symbolic patterns and themes that recur across cultures and throughout history. One of the key archetypes is "The Hero," representing the individual's journey towards self-discovery and growth. Although absolutely related, this is not to be confused with the immensely popular Hero's Journey storytelling mechanic, where a protagonist goes on an adventure, overcomes an obstacle, grows from the experience, and goes home. This Hero's Journey often involves confronting and integrating the shadow, another important concept in Jungian philosophy. The shadow lives in the personal unconscious and is the part of our mind where we hide all the traits and desires we don't like or can't accept about ourselves, such as anger, jealousy, or fear. Although the shadow might seem scary or mysterious, understanding and accepting it is vital for personal growth. By facing these hidden parts of ourselves, we stop wasting energy on hiding them and instead use that energy positively. This process of integrating your shadow, your dark side, helps you become more whole and balanced, which is key to becoming the Hero in your own life. Which is why in this video, we will be talking about what the hero archetype is, and how embracing your darkness could be the key to becoming a hero.
So here are the steps you need to take so that your dark side can make you a hero, according to the philosophy of Carl Jung.
01. Get To Know The Hero Archetype
02. Get To Know Your Darkness
03. Face The Darkness
04. Face The Light
05. Be Yourself
I hope you enjoyed listening to this podcast and hope that this wisdom on how to your dark side can make you a hero, from the philosophy of Carl Jung will be helpful in your life.
Carl Jung, together with Sigmund Freud and Alfred Adler, is one of the 3 founders of psychoanalysis which is a set of psychological theories and methods aiming to release repressed emotions and experiences - in other words, to make the unconscious conscious. Jung was born in Switzerland in 1875 and died in 1961, leaving behind great works in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philosophy, psychology and religious studies. Jung had Freud as a mentor for a good part of his career but later he departed from him. This division was painful for Jung and it led him to found his own school of psychology, called analytical psychology as a comprehensive system separate from psychoanalysis. If classical psychoanalysis focuses on the patient’s past, as early experiences are very important in personality development, analytical psychology primarily focuses on the present, on mythology, folklore, and cultural experiences, to try to understand human consciousness. One of the most important ideas of analytical psychology which Jung founded is the process of individuation, which is the process of finding the self - something Jung considered an important task in human development. While he did not formulate a systematic philosophy, he is nonetheless considered a sophisticated philosopher - his school of thought dubbed “Jungian philosophy”. Its concepts can apply to many topics covered in the humanities and the social sciences. A good part of his work was published after his death and indeed there are still some articles written by him that to this day have yet to be published. Some of his most important books are: “Psychology of the Unconscious”, “Man and His Symbols”, “The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious”, “Modern Man In Search of a Soul”, “The Psychology of the Transference”, “Memories, Dreams, Thoughts”, and “The Relations Between the Ego and the Unconscious”. Besides being a great writer and a researcher, he was also an artist, a craftsman and even a builder. His contribution is enormous and there is a great deal we can learn from his works.