Abstract
The massacre of sixteen children and their teacher in Scotland, at the Dunblane Primary School, earlier this year, shook the world. Hundreds of thousands of flowers were sent from all over the globe, as a gesture of sympathy and solidarity. Eight months later, the world carries on its normal business, but for the people of Dunblane there can be no return to normality. This article looks at some points raised by the Cullen Report, the Government inquiry into the massacre, particularly the emerging details about the background of the killer, Thomas Hamilton. These details are set alongside Jung's discussion of the Shadow archetype. The article also examines the role of the local churches at the time of the tragedy and thereafter, particularly the Cathedral at the center of Dunblane. The final section looks at some general reactions within the community to the killings.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ann Belford Ulanov, The Wisdom of the Psyche. Cambridge: Cowley, 1988, p. 40.
Newspaper reporting of the Cullen inquiry, especially in The Scotsman, was notably good.
See C. G. Jung, Collected Works. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1969, vol. 9(2), p. 8.
I well remember in Prof. Ann Ulanov's class at Union Theological Seminary completing the Shadow exercise, whereby an attempt was made to own one's Shadow material. We had to complete the sentence, “I hate... (insert name of most hated individual of your own sex) because s/he is... (insert hated attributes).” The exercise was completed by changing the name to one's own.
Ann Belford Ulanov, Picturing God. Cambridge: Cowley, 1986, p. 36.
Ibid., p. 37.
Ibid., p. 38.
See Donald Meek, The Scottish Highlands. Geneva: WCC Publications, 1996, p. 6.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Macritchie, I.A.M. The Shadow of Dunblane. Journal of Religion and Health 36, 5–16 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027480613753
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1027480613753