Enough About “Inner Demons” Already! | Psychology Today
Your worst thoughts, feelings, and behaviors—where do they *really* come from?
Source: "Inner Demons" by The Only New Number, Deviant Art, used with permission
Maybe it was the 1000th time I heard that occult explanation: “It must have been their inner demons that made them do it!” that I felt the strongest impulse to scream. To cry out in a kind of ideological protest. Why? Simply because the wayward thoughts or behaviors all of us are prone to—and not just toward others but (oh-so-sadly) toward ourselves as well—almost always can be adequately understood without alluding to satanic forces insidiously goading us from within.
Source: "Free Your Inner Demons," by bunniebunnie, Deviant Art, used with permission
Source: "Inner Conflict," flickr, used with permission
In conclusion, almost all behaviors that we regard as so abhorrent as to be “devil-driven,” may simply represent an unconscious, misdirected effort on the part of the individual to rebel or retaliate against their original non-loving caretakers. The various examples I’ve employed should amply demonstrate that the underpinnings of acts conventionally described as coming from our “inner demons” aren’t supernatural at all: they're psychological.
Source: "Inner Demons," by Riven-del, Deviant Art, used with permission
Note 2: An earlier article of mine covers this same subject—but from a totally different vantage point. Here’s its title and link: “Just How Dark Is Your Dark Side?”
Note 3: If you’d like to check out other posts I’ve written for Psychology Today online—on a broad variety of psychological topics—click here.
Submitted by cf on June 4, 2015 - 3:26pm
chill out. it's just a figure of speech
Similar observations/valid points
Submitted by Jan Baker, LMSW on June 4, 2015 - 4:25pm
I'm not quite sure from where it emanated, but I've observed the "darkness" tendency (inner demons, inner darkness, internal void, etc.) over a decade, particularly among dynamic and Jungian practitioners. I'm not slamming either ... the former is my own practice foundation. And I've learned quite a bit from Jungians, too. Sometimes I've thought that maybe some of us who are drawn to metaphor, philosophy, literature and the arts, have taken too much of a turn toward the dramatic. In pretty much every case of dark self-victimhood, I've picked up a sense from the source that dark drama held a certain specialness or nobility to it. As if others lacked the intellect or self-awareness to fully understand this darkness state.
This approach certainly can seem like a defense against accepting responsibility for one's own life, and taking any concrete actions to bring about positive change. But I've also noticed that some people can possess an absolutely brilliant intellect, while possessing the emotional maturity of 5-year-olds. In my mind, though, chronically going to the darkness card, represents an excuse for avoiding the necessary risks and losses involved in growing up.
I think it's funny you debunk the 'devil made me do it' excuse
Submitted by AddictionMyth on June 5, 2015 - 11:56am
And then proceed to "the psychology made me do it". LOL it's the same damn thing. People are mischievous and criminal even when raised in a loving environment if they are not taught right and wrong. And many good people come from very cruel backgrounds. The 'secret sauce' is a combination of a loving environment in which the child was properly taught moraly and disciplined, including consequences for mischief, aggression, and lying. (We are born sinners, whether you like it or not.) If you teach that love protects children from future dysfunction then you are only perpetuating the abuse that you decry. One only has to look at the current wave of permissive parenting to see how it has created a wave of mental illness, anxiety and depression.
Submitted by wow on June 6, 2015 - 11:48pm
Do you not believe that people have both good and bad forces within them, and that the bad forces are often so compelling that people let them take over?
Face the fact that there are
Submitted by face it on June 9, 2015 - 9:24pm
Face the fact that there are forces in this world that are of the spirit nature, after all we are spiritual beings having a human experience.. Author sounds like he needs to open his mind and recognize the nature of spiritual awareness.
Reply to face it
Quote face it
Scientist must be humble
Submitted by Daniel on May 5, 2016 - 7:32pm
It's a figure of speech there is no need to mock or criticize it you so called scientists piss me off sometimes with your I know it all nonsense. I am a very scientific individual and been studying psychology most my life and I use it as well doesn't mean I'm blaming some supernatural conscious force I never judge spiritual or religious people as a scientific mind I found them interesting and always take part in conversation with them they amuse me. It's a free world which entitles everyone to their opinions scientific or not. Richard Dawkins has said many times a scientist must be humble don't be arrogant its what makes people turn away from science and our generation is already illiterate enough....
Submitted by Niklas on May 3, 2017 - 4:01pm
My admission to ivory tower card:
I am an engineer (Bc.Eng.), dancer(9y), professional musician and ongoing scientist in the field of BCIs (medical engineering master with focus on neuroengineering)
Had two very successful years of verbal and behavioural psychotherapy that got me out of a very sad, grey and lonely place (family) and I am still busy finding out new things about me, currently what my demons are and how I can recognize/resist/fight/tame them.
I just read your article and the first part made me go tense and scared, nevertheless I read till the end.
I feel you are missing an important point in your analysis, I would like to call it science priviledge.
I believe you when you say there are people using the "demon" as an excuse to induldge in bad behaviour for whatever personal motivation. But to them it doesn't matter at all if they call it "demon" or "I lived in a dysfunctional family". The people you scare away with your rant are the sensitive ones who are simply and desperately trying to find a name tag for this thing they are experiencing.
They DON'T want to behave like that!
It hurts themselves the most.
And shaming them for turning to spiritual metaphors and traditional wisdom that they have access to (which you are doing) doesn't serve anybody but your anger that nobody uses the "scientifically" correct term.
But the name tag doesn't matter at all as long as people can work with that to start seeing these behaviours/demons as what they are and finding healthy ways to deal with them.
All you are doing is pitching your 20th century knowledge and vocabulary against thousands of years of (believe it or not) equally smart people with different tools to assess it (and mind you, quite powerful ones too) while you completely fail to see that you are all talking about the same thing.
Metaphors and pictures are really powerful, stop wasting time bickering over what different people call it.
I respect your scientific opinion on this, just try to see the why and not the what.
Enough About “Inner Demons” Already! | Psychology Today
Your worst thoughts, feelings, and behaviors—where do they *really* come from?
Source: "Inner Demons" by The Only New Number, Deviant Art, used with permission
Maybe it was the 1000th time I heard that occult explanation: “It must have been their inner demons that made them do it!” that I felt the strongest impulse to scream. To cry out in a kind of ideological protest. Why? Simply because the wayward thoughts or behaviors all of us are prone to—and not just toward others but (oh-so-sadly) toward ourselves as well—almost always can be adequately understood without alluding to satanic forces insidiously goading us from within.
Source: "Free Your Inner Demons," by bunniebunnie, Deviant Art, used with permission
Source: "Inner Conflict," flickr, used with permission
In conclusion, almost all behaviors that we regard as so abhorrent as to be “devil-driven,” may simply represent an unconscious, misdirected effort on the part of the individual to rebel or retaliate against their original non-loving caretakers. The various examples I’ve employed should amply demonstrate that the underpinnings of acts conventionally described as coming from our “inner demons” aren’t supernatural at all: they're psychological.
Source: "Inner Demons," by Riven-del, Deviant Art, used with permission
Note 2: An earlier article of mine covers this same subject—but from a totally different vantage point. Here’s its title and link: “Just How Dark Is Your Dark Side?”
Note 3: If you’d like to check out other posts I’ve written for Psychology Today online—on a broad variety of psychological topics—click here.
Submitted by cf on June 4, 2015 - 3:26pm
chill out. it's just a figure of speech
Similar observations/valid points
Submitted by Jan Baker, LMSW on June 4, 2015 - 4:25pm
I'm not quite sure from where it emanated, but I've observed the "darkness" tendency (inner demons, inner darkness, internal void, etc.) over a decade, particularly among dynamic and Jungian practitioners. I'm not slamming either ... the former is my own practice foundation. And I've learned quite a bit from Jungians, too. Sometimes I've thought that maybe some of us who are drawn to metaphor, philosophy, literature and the arts, have taken too much of a turn toward the dramatic. In pretty much every case of dark self-victimhood, I've picked up a sense from the source that dark drama held a certain specialness or nobility to it. As if others lacked the intellect or self-awareness to fully understand this darkness state.
This approach certainly can seem like a defense against accepting responsibility for one's own life, and taking any concrete actions to bring about positive change. But I've also noticed that some people can possess an absolutely brilliant intellect, while possessing the emotional maturity of 5-year-olds. In my mind, though, chronically going to the darkness card, represents an excuse for avoiding the necessary risks and losses involved in growing up.
I think it's funny you debunk the 'devil made me do it' excuse
Submitted by AddictionMyth on June 5, 2015 - 11:56am
And then proceed to "the psychology made me do it". LOL it's the same damn thing. People are mischievous and criminal even when raised in a loving environment if they are not taught right and wrong. And many good people come from very cruel backgrounds. The 'secret sauce' is a combination of a loving environment in which the child was properly taught moraly and disciplined, including consequences for mischief, aggression, and lying. (We are born sinners, whether you like it or not.) If you teach
 that love protects children from future dysfunction then you are only perpetuating the abuse that you decry. One only has to look at the current wave of permissive parenting to see how it has created a wave of mental illness, anxiety and depression.
Submitted by wow on June 6, 2015 - 11:48pm
Do you not believe that people have both good and bad forces within them, and that the bad forces are often so compelling that people let them take over?
Face the fact that there are
Submitted by face it on June 9, 2015 - 9:24pm
Face the fact that there are forces in this world that are of the spirit nature, after all we are spiritual beings having a human experience.. Author sounds like he needs to open his mind and recognize the nature of spiritual awareness.
Reply to face it
Quote face it
Scientist must be humble
Submitted by Daniel on May 5, 2016 - 7:32pm
It's a figure of speech there is no need to mock or criticize it you so called scientists piss me off sometimes with your I know it all nonsense. I am a very scientific individual and been studying psychology most my life and I use it as well doesn't mean I'm blaming some supernatural conscious force I never judge spiritual or religious people as a scientific mind I found them interesting and always take part in conversation with them they amuse me. It's a free world which entitles everyone to their opinions scientific or not. Richard Dawkins has said many times a scientist must be humble don't be arrogant its what makes people turn away from science and our generation is already illiterate enough....
Submitted by Niklas on May 3, 2017 - 4:01pm
My admission to ivory tower card:
I am an engineer (Bc.Eng.), dancer(9y), professional musician and ongoing scientist in the field of BCIs (medical engineering master with focus on neuroengineering)
Had two very successful years of verbal and behavioural psychotherapy that got me out of a very sad, grey and lonely place (family) and I am still busy finding out new things about me, currently what my demons are and how I can recognize/resist/fight/tame them.
I just read your article and the first part made me go tense and scared, nevertheless I read till the end.
I feel you are missing an important point in your analysis, I would like to call it science priviledge.
I believe you when you say there are people using the "demon" as an excuse to induldge in bad behaviour for whatever personal motivation. But to them it doesn't matter at all if they call it "demon" or "I lived in a dysfunctional family". The people you scare away with your rant are the sensitive ones who are simply and desperately trying to find a name tag for this thing they are experiencing.
They DON'T want to behave like that!
It hurts themselves the most.
And shaming them for turning to spiritual metaphors and traditional wisdom that they have access to (which you are doing) doesn't serve anybody but your anger that nobody uses the "scientifically" correct term.
But the name tag doesn't matter at all as long as people can work with that to start seeing these behaviours/demons as what they are and finding healthy ways to deal with them.
All you are doing is pitching your 20th century knowledge and vocabulary against thousands of years of (believe it or not) equally smart people with different tools to assess it (and mind you, quite powerful ones too) while you completely fail to see that you are all talking about the same thing.
Metaphors and pictures are really powerful, stop wasting time bickering over what different people call it.
I respect your scientific opinion on this, just try to see the why and not the what.