ARCHETYPES, POWER AND INTEGRITY: PSYCHOLOGICAL FOUNDATIONS OF JUDGE SELECTION THROUGH THE LENS OF JUNG AND NIETZSCHE

Abstract

The article investigates the psychological foundations of judicial selection through the lens of Carl Gustav Jung’s analytical psychology and Friedrich Nietzsche’s philosophical anthropology. It demonstrates that the archetypal structure of personality-particularly the integration of unconscious components such as the anima/animus and the shadow-substantially affects a judge’s ability to maintain impartiality, ethical stability, and collegiality. The features of both the archetypal and the gender shadow are summarised, and tables illustrate the practical application of Jungian and Nietzschean approaches to candidate psychodiagnostics. The need to employ projective, biographical, and typological techniques at the recruitment stage is substantiated. Key indicators of judicial integrity are identified as empathic competence, resistance to the lure of power, emotional regulation, collegiality, and the capacity for ethical self-control. An integral assessment model is proposed that accounts for deep-seated motivational risks alongside the psychological resources required for the administration of fair justice. Problem statement. In contemporary legal systems, the effectiveness and legitimacy of the judiciary depend not only on judges’ professional training but also on their personal integrity. Against the backdrop of political pressure, emotional instability, corruption risks, and the erosion of ethical standards, there is a pressing need to rethink the psychological criteria for judicial selection. Particular emphasis should be placed on analysing unconscious motivations and archetypal structures that may serve as hidden predictors of behavioural deviations in judicial practice.