Carl Jung's shadow: the parts of yourself that you've disowned, denied, or repressed. Everyone has a shadow — it contains the traits your family/culture/self-concept labeled as unacceptable: anger (in people told to be nice), selfishness (in people told to be selfless), vulnerability (in people told to be strong), ambition (in people told to be humble), and sexuality (in people raised with shame around desire).

The shadow doesn't disappear when denied — it operates unconsciously. The person who denies their anger becomes passive-aggressive. The person who denies their selfishness becomes a martyr who resents their sacrifice. The person who denies vulnerability becomes rigidly self-reliant. The shadow doesn't go away — it goes underground and influences behavior from behind.

Shadow projection: you see in others what you deny in yourself. The traits that most trigger you in other people are often the ones you've repressed. "I can't stand arrogant people" may mean "I've suppressed my own ambition." "I hate selfish people" may mean "I've denied my own legitimate needs." Projection is a signal — not about the other person, but about your relationship with that trait in yourself.

Shadow integration doesn't mean acting on every repressed impulse. It means: acknowledging the trait exists in you, understanding its origin (why was it repressed?), finding healthy expression (anger can be assertiveness; selfishness can be self-care; ambition can be excellence), and withdrawing the projection (seeing others more clearly because you're no longer projecting your disowned material). Wholeness includes the darkness. A person who only presents their light is performing — not living.