SELF-BETRAYAL, Julie Bondanza

We may, perhaps through belief in our own rectitude, succeed in escaping adverse criticism and deceiving ourselves.  But deep down a still small voice says to us: “Something is out of tune” (C.G. Jung).  

Listening to that “still small voice” may help us find the ways in which we betray ourselves. What does it mean to betray one’s own development to individuation? Does it mean we try to please others, that we conform to others’ expectations? Does it mean we ignore the demands of the Self? Does it mean we ignore our dreams, our instincts, our desires? Did Oedipus betray himself? Did King Lear? Did Othello? Are these betrayals inevitable? What, if anything, can we do about it? In this lecture/discussion, we will explore what it means to betray ourselves and what the consequences might be.