ABSTRACT
Having explored our beginnings, this middle section connects more to the doing of sport by revealing an elusive subject, the Jungian Shadow. One of the most familiar mythological figures to embody the Shadow is Darth Vader. His connection to seminal Jungian Joseph Campbell is explored, amplifying themes of archetypal psychology. This chapter relates how this force within us relates to sport excellence. Freud and Jung laid the foundations of psychology, but there was another less-known influential figure, Alfred Adler, who believed that our ancestral history has bestowed upon us a defensive position, describing a consequent human drive to ‘strive for superiority’.
Emotions cannot be weighed, but remain crucial to effective sport – as well as being a potential liability. This controversial ‘X factor’ has a long track record for good and bad in sport and this chapter follows the trail. Burston explores the infamous Zinedine Zidane headbutt in the 2006 Football World Cup Final, with a Jungian rationale for what happened. Conviction and commitment are positive words in sport; they also mean being imprisoned and sectioned as insane. Depth approaches build on these little-understood connections, helping shed light on them for athletes and sport psychologists.
