Is it possible for a person to project their own shadow onto their own ego?

Question

Usually the shadow is projected onto other people and those other people become the enemy. Is it possible to view your own ego as the enemy and what characteristics, behaviors, thoughts, words, etc, would manifest by demonizing one's own ego?

Using Jung's definitions:
Self- transcends ego and inheres the age-old capacities of the species. Seeks individuation.
ego- the center of consciousness. "I", "me". Responsible for continuing sense of identity. 
persona- social archetype, conformity. What we portray to others to be accepted and avoid abandonment.
shadow- disowned subpersonality. Opposite of persona. Sources (1) cultural indoctrination (2) familial repression.

"The moral complex imposes severe restraints on the shadow, where it is experienced as a threat; repressed, denied or projected."

Jung by Anthony Stevens

cavassi · Accepted Answer

Since the shadow is the way a person wants people to see them and the ego is the arbitrator of reality, your question appears to ask: is it possible for the ego to decide to become the person they project rather than the person that that are.  In that many people APPEAR to others as better than they are, I hope they DO try to be that person.  According to Cognitive Behavior Therapy, that is one way change in behavior for a person can work: if you behave "better", you will become "better".  It also works the other way: if you think a certain way, eventually you will act consistent with that belief.

Beasticus Tofudii · Answer

I would think so.  This sounds similar to the Buddhist thoughts about the ego, particularly how it can be a source of suffering, and that we should seek to eliminate it (or at least not let it dominate our thoughts).  And to do that we need to explore it so that we can better understand it, as many aspects of it may remain hidden and subconscious.  That is why meditation is such a powerful tool; it lets us bring up these buried thought patterns so they can be seen and understood, and no longer control us subconsciously.  

That being said, I'm not familiar with Jung's shadow concept, so I'm not sure this is what you're really getting at.  Not all that certain about the Buddhism either....

Anonymous · Answer

G
Theere are no subdivisions, except for the names developed by people who can't grasp integrated systems.

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Is it possible for a person to project their own shadow onto their own ego?

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