Why Good People Do Bad Things: Understanding Our Darker Selves

(Paperback)

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How do we make sense of the discrepancies between who we think we are - or who we show to the outside world - versus our everyday behaviours Why are otherwise ordinary people driven to addictions and compulsions, whether alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, infidelity or the Internet Why are interpersonal relationships so often filled with strife Exploring Jung's concept of the Shadow - the unconscious parts of our self that contradicts the image of the self we hope to project - WHY GOOD PEOPLE DO BAD THINGS guides you through all the ways in which many of our seemingly unexplainable behaviours are manifestations of the Shadow. In addition to its presence in our personal lives, Hollis looks at the larger picture of the Shadow at work in our culture - from organised religion to the suffering and injustice that abounds in our modern world. Accepting and examining the Shadow as part of one's self, Hollis suggests, is the first step toward wholeness. Revealing a new way of understanding our darker selves, Hollis offers wisdom to help you to acquire a more conscious conduct of your life and bring a new level of awareness to your daily actions and choices.

Reviews

Praise for "Why Good People Do Bad Things" and for James Hollis

Hollis suggests that we can only become whole (and good) by acknowledging our Shadow and accepting that it's O K to have a dark side, as long as we never let it take control of who we are. . . . The difference between this book and most of the slick self-helpers is that Hollis has genuinely important, meaningful things to say.
"Booklist"

Nourishing. . . . Like a master chef, James Hollis knows that good food for the soul cannot be ordered to go.
"The Plain Dealer"

Author Bio

James Hollis, Ph.D., is a Jungian analyst in private practice and executive director of the C.G. Jung Educational Center of Houston. Educated at Manchester College, Drew University, and the Jung Institute in Zurich, he was a humanities professor for more than twenty years and is the author of ten previous books, including the best selling The Middle Passage- From Misery to Meaning at Midlife and The Eden Project- In Search of the Magical Other. Based in Houston, he lectures frequently throughout the country and worldwide.