A person who lends themselves well to expression as a shadow archetype, as defined by C.G. Jung.

As expressions of the psychic shadow of society, the shadow personality has the internal disposition required for sociopathic behavior, but may not engage in it relative to the standards of a given society. (for example, blaming social maladies on a nations' enemy may be condoned by that society, despite its fundamentally antisocial nature). A person who depreciates the importance of providing socially valuable content in their own mind, they instead exhalt their id and its primal drives. This is the defining trait of a shadow personality: their genetic program is given corresponding weight relative to its relevance to the given social situation. For example, if the situation calls for deep, systemic hatred, they will indulge in this on behalf of what they perceive of as the greater good of social order. (the superego, not to be confused with the social ego one relies on for social interacton). They may argue for the imposition of social restraints that are amenicable to their own preferred mentality, especially if they see themselves as threatened by another gene program.

Famous shadow archetypes include Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, Saddam Hussein, Pol Pot, Josef Mengele, Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Goering, practicing Satanists and others who indulge themselves in markedly socially deviant practices and the promotion of the same. (from the standpoint of a confirmable overwhelming social supermajority). These practices stem from thought patterns which exhalt the various vices of humanity, and may be disturbing to the majority. Shadows may acheive positions of power and prestige, however their nature is like to corrupt the integrity of the environment around them with the pursuit of self-interest over the greater good of society. The very presence of a shadow can twist the thinking of the unwary and sow the seeds of tragedy for all involved. Shadows radiate a vibe of instability and/or unpredictability, extreme nervousness which is felt by those around them.

In recent times Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad earned the scorn of leaders around the world by making threatening statements toward Israel. Additionally, Ahmadinejad has presided over the implementation of a nuclear fuel program in Iran, a move which unsettles the predominantly Judeo-Christian West with the possibility that Iran could develop nuclear weapons capability. It is conceivable that Ahmadinejad, a shadow, was chosen to lead as a counter to the influence of the United States which had invaded Iran's neighbor, Iraq. Ahmadinejad is a skilled diplomatic intimidator whose ruthless pursuit of his own social program has led to a reinforcement of the superego platform of the Islamic revolution, thus diminishing dissent in Iran and repressing insurgency. Shadows are often sought by governments desperate to repress competing ethnic groups into the boundaries of a single state, as was exemplified by the American elevation of Saddam Hussein's government to power in the 1960s.

The world's most notorious serial killers and charismatic psychopaths are shadows, although not all shadows are psychopaths.

Origin: C.G. Jung referred to the manifestation of personalities who brought out the beast in men as "personifications of the shadow archetype", naming Hitler in particular as one such person. In The Lord of the Rings, the Dark Lord Sauron is referred to as "the Shadow", particularly with regard to his influence.