Chapter 1: The Shadow Summary and Analysis

The persona is what each of us would like to be and how we wish to be seen in the world. This persona mediates between our true selves and our environment. It presents an image and sends a message to the world just as our clothing does. The ego is what we know about ourselves. The shadow is that part of ourselves that we are unaware of.

Although we are born "pure," as we develop good and evil are defined for us. This is when the shadow-making begins. We begin to shape our image by separating what's socially acceptable about ourselves and what is not. The shadow gains strength from the accumulation of all those discarded characteristics. The shadow has energy, almost equal to that of the ego. It can erupt in an overpowering rage which seems...