The modern world has witnessed a dramatic breakthrough of the dark,
negative forces of human nature. The "old ethic," which pursued an
illusory perfection by repressing the dark side, has lost its power to
deal with contemporary problems. Erich Neumann was convinced that the
deadliest peril now confronting humanity lay in the "scapegoat"
psychology associated with the old ethic. We are in the grip of this
psychology when we project our own dark shadow onto an individual or
group identified as our "enemy," failing to see it in ourselves. The
only effective alternative to this dangerous shadow projection is shadow
recognition, acknowledgement, and integration into the totality of the
self. Wholeness, not perfection, is the goal of the new ethic.