#+TITLE: Facing the Shadow Self
#+SUBTITLE: Lessons in Personal Acceptance from Persona 4
#+AUTHOR: Correl Roush
#+EMAIL: correl@gmail.com
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[[file:../images/p4-cover.jpg]]

*Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4*
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#+begin_abstract
Persona 4 is a role-playing game released in 2008 that draws upon
concepts from Jungian psychology -- particularly the ideas of personas
and shadows -- and places them at the very core of the game's themes
of interpersonal relationships and truth-seeking. While investigating
a series of bizarre murders and kidnappings, a group of high school
students learn to accept themselves, support one another, and set
things right in a town clouded with comfortable lies and false
assumptions.
#+end_abstract

* Facing the Shadow Self

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[[file:../images/p4-yukiko.png]]

*Yukiko Amagi*

The daughter of the owner of the local inn, Yukiko feels trapped into
being next to manage the family business. She secretly wishes a prince
would arrive to whisk her away.
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** TODO Repression and Denial

file:../images/p4-shadow-kanji.png

** TODO The Battle (You Can't Do It Alone)

When denied by the character /("You're not me!")/, the manifested
shadow self becomes enraged, taking on a new, more powerful form
symbolic of the character's inner struggle.

file:../images/p4-shadow-yukiko.jpg

It's interesting to note that, at this point, the character is
ill-equipped and powerless to do anything, and must rely on their
friends to weather the assault and attack their out-of-control shadow.

** TODO Acceptance

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[[file:../images/p4-kanji.png]]

*Kanji Tatsumi*

Kanji's rough appearance and tough-guy attitude are at odds with his
hobbies, which include sewing and painting. Having endured insults,
rejection, and accusations of homosexuality, he's come to hate and
fear girls, and question his own masculinity.
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Following the battle, the shadow reverts to its doppelganger form.
This time around, the character truly faces their shadow by admitting
their true feelings to themselves, in front of their friends. This
marks their first step towards growth and recovery, having accepted
the side of themselves they've been struggling with alone thus far.

Acceptance is the key thing here. At no point do their friends judge
or attack them for having those feelings. Instead, they listen and
support the character as they realize that having those thoughts are
ok. They learn that their feelings exist for a reason, and through
understanding them, they can find compassion for themselves and move
past the pain.

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#+begin_quote
It's okay... Let the kid spill the whole thing. If not, Naoto's just
gonna keep hurting...

--- Kanji
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Finally, their shadow transforms once more, this time into the new
persona they've acquired to face themselves and others. Exhausted from
the ordeal, the character is carried out of the TV world back to their
home, where they then rest and recuperate for several days.

* TODO Personal Growth

#+begin_marginbox
[[file:../images/p4-naoto.png]]

*Naoto Shirogane*

A child prodigy, Naoto is a young, highly skilled detective, and is
remarkably mature for her age. In order to fit in with her peers, and
to emulate the fictitious detectives she admires, she dresses and acts
male, even speaking in a lowered voice. The members of the police
force still regard her as a child, however, and she struggles with her
gender, seeing it as a impediment she cannot overcome.
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Only after a main character has faced and accepted their shadow selves
can the player form a bond with them, referred to in the game as a
"social link". From that point onward, the player will have
opportunities to spend some of their free time with that character.

** IDEA Strengthening Social Links