Via Starwars.com:

Welcome to the Star Wars in Mythology series. These posts will explore ancient mythology and its use in Star Wars, highlighting the timeless storytelling that permeates the saga. In this edition, StarWars.com discusses the Shadow motif.

Carl Jung is essentially the great-grandfather of Star Wars, as Joseph Campbell included much of Jung’s psychological research in his work.

Jung’s work highlights the concept of the collective unconscious, aspects of our psyche that exist for everyone. Jung theorizes that this collective unconscious is responsible for the common themes in our mythology, even across isolated, independent cultures. All were drawing from archetypes hidden in our subconscious, archetypes that are part of what makes us human.

The Shadow is one prevalent Jungian archetype. But it is Star Wars that definitively makes use of it.

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