The 50th Law (with 50 Cent)

Keys to Human Nature
If we think about the people we know and see on a regular basis, we
would have to agree that they are usually quite pleasant and agreeable.
For the most part, they seem pleased to be in our company, are
relatively up-front and confident, socially responsible, able to work
with a team, take good care of themselves, and treat others well. But
every now and then with these friends, acquaintances, and colleagues,
we glimpse behavior that seems to contradict what we normally see.
This can come in several forms: Out of nowhere they make a
critical, even cruel comment about us, or express a rather harsh
assessment of our work or personality. Is this what they really feel and
were struggling to conceal? For a moment they are not so nice. Or we
hear of their unpleasant treatment of family or employees behind
closed doors. Or out of the blue they have an affair with the most
unlikely man or woman, and it leads to bad things. Or they put their
money in some absurd and risky financial scheme. Or they do
something rash that puts their career in jeopardy. Or we catch them in
some lie or manipulative act. We can also notice such moments of
acting out, or behaving against reputation, in public figures and
celebrities, who then go through lengthy apologies for the strange
moods that came over them.
What we glimpse in these moments is the dark side of their
character, what the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung called the Shadow.
The Shadow consists of all the qualities people try to deny about
themselves and repress. This repression is so deep and effective that

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people are generally unaware of their Shadow; it operates
unconsciously. According to Jung, this Shadow has a thickness to it,
depending on how deep the level of repression and the number of
traits that are being concealed. Nixon would be said to have a