Psychology of Evil - The Devil Archetype - Written by Eternalised

this After Skool presentation was written and  narrated by Eternalised 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 can still fear in our hearts however when examining the psychological aspects  of this concept there appears to be greater receptivity 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 Define the archetype is 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 hermatic maximum 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 Elish, Tiamat is a primordial goddess of the ocean often  depicted as a giant sea serpent or Drgon 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 barque, 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 a craving for worldly excess,  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 Mazda, 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.