How is it that good people do bad things? Why is our personal story and our societal history so bloody, so repetitive, so injurious to self and others?

How do we make sense of the discrepancies between who we think we areor who we show to the outside worldversus our everyday behaviors? Why are otherwise ordinary people driven to addictions and compulsions, whether alcohol, drugs, food, shopping, infidelity, or the Internet? Why are interpersonal relationships so often filled with strife?

Exploring Jungs concept of the Shadowthe unconscious parts of our self that contradict the image of the self we hope to project--Why Good People Do Bad Things guides you through all the ways in which many of our seemingly unexplainable behaviors are manifestations of the Shadow. In addition to its presence in our personal lives, Hollis looks at the larger picture of the Shadow at work in our culturefrom organized religion to the suffering and injustice that abounds in our modern world. Accepting and examining the Shadow as part of ones self, Hollis suggests, is the first step toward wholeness. Revealing a new way of understanding our darker selves, Hollis offers wisdom to help you to acquire a more conscious conduct of your life and bring a new level of awareness to your daily actions and choices.

"Hollis suggests that we can only become whole (and good) by acknowledging our Shadow and accepting that it's O K to have a dark side, as long as we never let it take control of who we are. . . . The difference between this book and most of the slick self-helpers is that Hollis has genuinely important, meaningful things to say."

Booklist

"Nourishing. . . . Like a master chef, James Hollis knows that good food for the soul cannot be ordered to go."

The Plain Dealer

How is it that good people do bad things? Why do otherwise ordinary people gamble, drink, embezzle company funds, become addicted to Internet porn, cheat on their spouse, or repeat the same destructive behaviors in relationships, at work, or in their habits? And, on a grander scale, how can we reconcile all of the pain and suffering present in the world?

In Why Good People Do Bad Things, James Hollis offers wisdom to help you acquire a new level of awareness to your daily actions and choices. Exploring the Shadow is important to our growth because it helps us repair inner fractures and explore what forces are working against us, and why. Hollis also looks at the larger picture of the Shadow at work in our culturein history, religion, organizations, and corporationsin addition to its presence in our personal lives.