The Conscious Realm - Benefits Of The Persona
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There is a sort of performance in everything we do; we fear what others may see behind the scenes. In the persona, we attempted to strive toward goodness. The persona, in all the masking and acting, may provide a map to your soul..
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According to Jung, there are two sources that create the persona.
The first is expectations and demands from society. We are all sensitive to other people’s expectations. Although benefits can be found from this source, I am going to skip this for now.
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The second is aspirations of the individual e.g. a map to the soul. Sometimes it is not society that is demanding a way to be, but our true self. We want to be something great in life. Reflect on times you notice yourself acting out these instincts of the soul. Much wisdom is found in this reflection..
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A persona that is beneficial is broad enough not only to express the socially appropriate aspects but also genuine and plausible. You can understand the persona to the extent that it is an expression of the greatness you can be.
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In the intro to the persona post, I discussed the ego. It is important to see the difference between your ego and persona. If you notice yourself mimicking others actions, picking up traits of those you are around, your ego is becoming too attached to the persona.
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The persona can only benefit with the acceptance and awareness of it outside the ego. Also, you must learn how to integrate it with the connected shadow.
Jung provides a POWERFUL reflection on this integration,
“Out of evil, much good has come to me. By repressing nothing, remaining attentive, and by accepting reality—taking things as they are, not as I wanted them to be—by doing this, unusual knowledge and powers has come to me. I always thought that when we accepted things they overpowered us. This turns out false, and it is only by accepting them that one can assume an attitude towards them. So now I intend to play the game of life, being receptive to whatever comes to me, accepting my own nature with its positive and negative sides. Thus everything becomes more alive”
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We will conclude the series in the next post.
