How Venom Is Eddie's Shadow Self
In the craft of storytelling, there’s this thing called the "shadow," which is essentially a character that the “hero” has to confront if they want to overcome an obstacle, achieve growth, and reach their goals. The character is often a “villain,” but they embody the problematic parts that belong to the hero, which get ignored by subconscious suppression. But the term "shadow" came from Carl Jung's work in psychology and his concept of “shadow work” which was built from Freud's work on repression. If you’re unfamiliar with the “shadow self,” know that it is the self that’s suppressed from the conscious mind. This is because the shadow self is the negative emotions, thoughts, and behavior that a person is unaware of because they don’t want the negative traits associated with them, but they can surface when a person is triggered. But because they suppress their shadow self so much, they won’t remember their hurtful actions or words after the triggering event has passed.
