The Dark Force in us – From Darth Vader to Jedi

Posted on March 20, 2024March 27, 2024 by Angie Weinberger

Do you know Darth Vader, the dark force in many Star Wars movies? Did you know that we all have a bit of Darth Vader? Our fears often drive us. (Some leaders move to the dark side). The Star Wars movies are full of allusions to deep psychology and how our attachments and fears form our behaviors and lives. With this post, I would like to help you understand how we are influenced by our fears and how you can change to become a Jedi.

Fritz Riemann, a profound psychologist, established a theory based on four primary forms of anxiety (“Grundformen der Angst”). These four primary forms of angst are formed in early childhood and determine to a large extent how we behave when we are grown up. In extreme cases, these fears turn into mental illnesses. For Riemann, the Sith are schizoid, depressed, obsessive, and histrionic people. You have to be aware that even though these terms have found their way into our everyday language, the clinical spectrum of these illnesses is severe and needs treatment through therapy.

Carl Gustav Jung, another deep psychologist, discovered the “shadow.” Jung assumed that our relationships with other people are based on unconscious projections of our wishes and expectations of their behavior. According to Jung, the shadow is the part of us that we have driven into the unconscious as it was unwanted (for example, behavior as a child) as opposed to our “Persona,” which was the desired (performing) part of us. Did you ever notice that you don’t like traits in another person, and later, someone told you that you have this trait too?

Eric Berne founded transactional analysis. He used three ego states (child, adult, parent) to explain human interactions in his research. He called those interactions “transactions” because every interaction has an outcome. We either get “strokes” or other “payoffs.” If you are a Jedi, you give others “strokes” and make them feel good about who they are. You are living by the assumption that every human being is good and that you are good, too. As a dark knight, on the other hand, you have had experiences that taught you that others misbehave, and you have been suppressed. Before you can heal, you will probably go through dark times, and you might end up dying like Darth Vader because you cannot get over your past.

We are all Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker

To speak in Star Wars terminology: You might have a bit of Darth Vader within you even though you might be a Jedi most of the time.

Like Darth Vader, we were not always bad. Some of us had negative childhood experiences and got stuck in complex post-traumatic stress disorder. You lost trust in the world because of a traumatic experience. Our education system did not help either. We were ruled by authority and we had to perform. You were punished if you did not have your homework back in the 70s and 80s. No one told you that you are great because you are creative or even because you are who you are.

You were taught to perform to make it in life. My parents had a different approach to education, but they also were young and idealistic and sometimes forgot their own children over the ones they took care of.

Today, when you watch TV or check an ad statement, you will often see a world full of existential angst or gold-coated “happy families.”

We are torn between a world to be afraid of and a world where everyone is on happy pills all the time. It’s like a world where the dark forces rule and where the Sith have won. Everywhere.

Could you still become a Jedi?

What if you decided that you did not want to be ruled by fear and anxiety?

What if you wanted to be a light and inspire others to stay “good” or on their mission?

What if you could be Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia Organa?

Become a Global Jedi

I published my newest book, “The Global Rockstar Album: 21 Verses to Find Your Tact as an Inclusive Leader,” in October. It’s the basis for our coaching and how we support you in getting your voice heard and your global team on board for purpose, productivity, and performance.

You see, the Jedis confront their fears all the time. They deal with them. They do what they are afraid to do and fight evil step-by-step. They don’t stop. They sometimes take a break to train or to collect force. They retreat to be able to focus on their mission again.

Real change happens only through taking action. You start by confronting what you are afraid of. You go into the dark tunnel and the abyss of your soul. You dive deep into the black sea of concern and unconscious. There, you will find the monsters, the Sith, the evil you must handle. It would be best if you worked through those with a light-saber. You tackle one relationship after the next relationship. You go through them all. All your fears, projections, shadows. I’ll stay by your side like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Cherish the people who criticize you, but don’t let their criticism stop you from what you think is right.

Stay on your path. Be a lighthouse in a darker-looking world. Join the force now.

REQUEST YOUR FREE ACCOUNT ON THE ROCKMEAPP!

Please book an appointment with me if you would like to learn more about your current struggles and how to move forward.

https://calendly.com/angieweinberger

Contact me:

Contact Card 3

The Global Rockstar Album

This self-help book is designed to assist you during the transition by addressing both practical and psychological aspects. I aim to provide valuable guidance for navigating transition challenges holistically as if you had me as your Expat Coach.