Psychology of Evil - The Devil Archetype - Written by Eternalised

This after-school presentation was written and narrated by Eternalized. The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist. The second greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he is the good guy. For many, the devil is viewed merely as a fictional figure, a character in religious stories with no real impact on our daily lives. When discussed, the devil is often dismissed as a construct designed to instill fear in our hearts. However, when examining the psychological aspects of this concept, there appears to be greater receptivity and more insight. It is crucial, therefore, to clarify that we are not advocating religious beliefs, but rather exploring the psychological traits associated with the archetype of chaos, or evil, a force that stands in opposition to order or good. Swiss psychiatrist and psychologist Carl Jung defined the archetype as a primordial image that reflects basic patterns of behavior common to us all. They are inherited. Archetypes are the images of the instincts, providing us with the symbolic patterns of the collective unconscious, and helping us to understand our psyche. A common misunderstanding is that archetypes only exist within the psyche, but Jung was clear that they also exist outside of it. He coined the term psychoid, soul-like, to refer to the irrepresentable nature of all archetypes, which do not fully belong in the psyche, nor in matter, but rather transcends them both, and yet provides a bridge to them as the unifying element. This is known as the Unus Mundus, the One World, which is the transcendental unity of existence that underlies the duality of psyche and matter. It follows the hermetic maxim, as above, so below, as below, so above. Before exploring the psychological aspects of the archetype of chaos or absolute evil, we will briefly look at its evolution throughout history, across the world. In the Babylonian creation epic, the Enuma Lysh, Tiamat is a primordial goddess of the ocean, often depicted as a giant sea serpent or dragon. Marduk, the personification of order, defeats Tiamat and uses a body to create the heavens and the earth, illustrating that chaos, while a destructive force, is essential for the formation of an ordered cosmos. In Egyptian mythology, Apophis is a serpent who embodies chaos and darkness, and resides in Duat, the underworld. Each night, Apophis attempts to prevent the sunrise by attacking the sun god Ra's solar bark, symbolising the ongoing struggle between chaos and order. In Hinduism, the earliest Vedic scriptures depict a coexistence of both good and bad deities. Over time, these figures were more clearly defined as Asuras, evil spirits or powers of darkness, and Devas, divine or shining beings. According to Hindu mythology, every person begins as an Asura, characterised by craving for worldly access, power, wealth, ego, and violence. Those who are driven by self-restraint, charity, compassion, and the sacred, eventually rise to become Devas. Thus, a person becomes one with the realm of the gods. The hostility between these two opposing forces is described in neutral terms and without explicit condemnation. Both exist within us. It is the eternal dance of good and evil. The goal, however, is to attain Moksha, or liberation from the cycle of reincarnation. That is governed by Karma, the principle that one's actions in this life determine one's future rebirths. In Taoism, the universe begins in Wuji, a state of primordial chaos, from which Taiji emerges, leading to the creation of Yin and Yang. These dualities embody the interplay of forces within the cosmos, with the Tao representing the ultimate principle that transcends both chaos and order. Zoroastrianism portrays a cosmic battle between Ahura Masta, the Lord of Wisdom, who embodies light, truth, creation, and Ahriman or Angra Mainyu, the evil spirit, representing darkness, chaos, and deceit. Truth stands in opposition to falsehood and deceit. Humans, endowed with free will, must choose which path to take. The ultimate vision, however, is that good will triumph over evil. This idea had a significant influence on the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Gnosticism, on the other hand, presents a dualistic view of the world, equating good with the spiritual realm and evil with the material world. The material world was not created by a benevolent god, but rather a malevolent demiurge. The ultimate goal is to discover the divine spark within oneself, which is trapped in the physical world. By achieving this knowledge, or gnosis, individuals can transcend the material realm and ascend to their true spiritual home. The common themes that emerge across all the world traditions are that order arises from chaos, with both states existing simultaneously. There is, however, an eternal struggle between good and evil, and individuals possess the freedom to choose their path in this conflict. Ultimately, the aspiration is for good to prevail over evil, leading to spiritual liberation. Thus, chaos and evil, as well as order and good, are inextricably linked together. The idea that good and evil are relative is a relatively recent development. There seems to be a growing shift away from objective morality, leading to confusion about what constitutes right and wrong. Lucifer, the Lightbringer, was the brightest and most beautiful of all angels, a being whose radiance outshone the stars themselves. But one day he thought, why should I, the most beautiful and powerful of all, bow to a greater will? Why not ascend to the throne, and become God myself? Driven by his ego or pride, he wanted to take over God's throne and become God himself. He refused to unite his free will with the will of God, as he considered it a form of eternal slavery. So, he rebelled against God and convinced one-third of the angels to do the same. This led to the War in Heaven, where Lucifer and his followers were ultimately defeated by the archangel Michael and his angels. By defying the divine role assigned to them by God in Heaven, Lucifer and his rebel angels were transformed into the very opposite of their former selves in Hell. Lucifer, once the brightest of angels, became the devil, Satan, the archetype of absolute evil. In the Garden of Eden, the serpent, symbolising the devil, appears as the voice of temptation, convincing Adam and Eve to eat from the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil, by claiming it will open their eyes and make them like gods. This deception, appealing to their pride and desire for godlike power, leads to their disobedience and fall from paradise. Hence the proverb, pride comes before a fall. It is psychologically significant that pride appears both in Lucifer's fall and humanity's fall from paradise. It appears as the origin of all evil. Unlike confidence or self-assurance, which involve recognising one's worth while staying humble, pride is marked by arrogance, resentment, and an inflated sense of self-importance, hubris. A brief look at the current state of the world reveals the pervasive presence of the archetype of absolute evil, most commonly represented by the figure of the devil. The devil, whose very nature is to divide, does so explicitly and implicitly, hidden in secret, often hiding under the cloaks of goodness and progress. Satanism is evil disguised as good. These divisions manifest in nearly every aspect of our lives, family, community, culture, religion, politics, economics, race, sex, and more. The demonic is an inversion of order, hence divide and conquer. The antidote to the diabolic is the symbolic, that which unites, aptly expressed in the saying, united we stand, divided we fall. People are often quick to blame the others, whoever they may be, for problems, turning them into scapegoats, and placing unwanted blame on them. This often results in violence against others, which is what the devil most desires, for us human beings to turn against ourselves. The tendency to project fault onto others frequently serves as a defence mechanism to obscure our own flaws and vices. When you point a finger at someone, three fingers point back to you. When negative aspects of ourselves are not recognised as belonging to In other words, that which we deny in ourselves slowly becomes buried in our shadow, our unknown and repressed qualities, and are projected onto those around us. It is crucial to understand that psychological projection happens unconsciously. As such, others are often more aware of our shadow than we are, which can be an uncomfortable reality. Projection is always easier than assimilation. We must understand that everyone, including ourselves, has the potential for evil, but we always have the power to choose not to commit it. That is the proper moral stance. Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn writes, The line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being, and who is willing to destroy peace of his own heart? We are of a dual nature, embodying both light and dark. By denying the darkness, we deny half of ourselves, allowing it to dominate us as an autonomous force that overwhelms us and acts against our will. As we have observed, the divisions we see in the world often mirror an inner division within ourselves. The serpent in the Garden of Eden is described as more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God has made. This highlights another crucial aspect of the devil, his deception. He is not only the father of all lies, but also highly intelligent and cunning, making him particularly dangerous. This reflects in our behaviours, showing how the devil archetype manifests in us. There is often a blurry line between demonic behaviour and mental issues. While there are cases of extraordinary and frightening manifestations of the demonic, our focus here will be on the psychological activities of the diabolic. Temptation is the ordinary aspect of demonic activity, and it is something we encounter in our daily lives. The world can be viewed as a battleground between demons and angels, vice and virtue. We are in the middle of this spiritual warfare, capable of choosing our own path. The goal of the demonic is for us to remain mired in the seven deadly sins. Lust, greed, gluttony, sloth, wrath, envy, and pride. Sin literally means to miss the mark, to fall short of a goal or stray from the right path. Temptation begins with deception, buying into the lies of the devil, who promises good only to deliver evil. The devil tempts us with half-truths. Do what makes you happy, regardless of the consequences. Times have changed, we live in a new world with new rules. Everyone else is doing it, why shouldn't you? You obey no one, you are the god of yourself. By making the ego the centre of our lives, the devil seeks to separate us from God. Through these subtle ways, we are gradually led down a path towards his kingdom of darkness. The devil is an excellent observer of our behaviour, and looks for cracks in our spiritual armour, that is, weaknesses in our lives. The goal of this is to create division, inner conflict, and confusion, paralysing our capacity to make clear choices, and driving us into a downward spiral. As we grapple with despair, we often seek substitutes to fill the void, turning to pleasure or diversion as a means of escape. This pursuit of temporary relief can easily lead to addiction, trapping us in a state of spiritual stagnation. Hell is that state of mind which has abandoned itself so completely to a given sin, that it cannot act independently of that sin. Consider someone consumed by deep-seated hatred towards a particular group or individual. This hatred becomes the central focus of life, influencing all emotions, thoughts, and actions. It affects conversations, decisions, and even moments of joy. Relationships suffer as this person pushes away those offering support or different perspectives. Identity becomes entangled with the hatred, driving every action by desire for revenge or validation. This all-consuming hatred traps the individual in hell, a state of mind completely dominated by a single destructive emotion. Eventually, it becomes clear that what was once seen as a source of freedom has turned into a prison. This creates oppression, a negative influence on loved ones and friends, leading to further alienation and disillusionment. When one snaps out of this hypnotic state, one may discover that one has lost everything that was valuable in life, leading to a lack of meaning, purpose, or direction in life. This is unbearable, and people lose all desire to continue living. After deceiving you into thinking you are his friend, Satan reveals his true nature at your lowest point. He becomes the accuser and says that the party's over. Now you must suffer the consequences of your actions, filling you with despair. God, however, becomes your defender, providing strength, refuge, and a fortress in times of trouble. The best way to fight against the devil archetype is to become aware and recognise its patterns, the most important being temptation, deception, division, and accusation. This is half the battle. The more crucial half is to actively strive towards virtue. Even though setbacks are inevitable, it is important to remember that everyone experiences highs and lows. Rather than striving for unattainable perfection, we should seek wholeness. Man's real life consists of a complex of inexorable opposites, day and night, birth and death, happiness and misery, good and evil. We are not even sure that one will prevail against the other, that good will overcome evil, or joy defeat pain. Life is a battleground. It always has been, and always will be. And if it were not so, existence would come to an end. I hope you enjoyed this collaboration. Share this video with others if you found it valuable. For more similar content, head over to my channel Eternalized. Thank you, and take care.