Archetype is a psychology concept used to represent behavior patterns associated with a character or social role.
The mother, the sage and the hero are examples of archetypes. These “characters” have characteristics that are similarly perceived by all human beings.
This concept was developed by Carl G. Jung, Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology. For Jung, the archetypes are in the collective unconscious and that is why they are perceived in a similar way by everyone.
Jung said that archetypes are a psychological heritage, that is, they are the result of the experiences of thousands of generations of human beings in facing everyday situations.
Images of archetypes are found in myths, legends, literature, movies, and they also appear in our dreams.
Archetypes are also used in advertising. When an animal is used in a brand, customers are expected to associate the brand with that animal's characteristics.
The 12 archetypes and their meanings
Based on Jung's idea of archetypes, a classification with 12 archetypes was developed that symbolize some of the basic motivations of human beings.
An individual may manifest several archetypes in his personality, but usually one of them is predominant. Psychologists often use these archetypes to study personalities and develop the potentials of individuals.
- Wise: the sage is a person who seeks knowledge and practices self-reflection. He analyzes situations and acts with wisdom and intelligence.
- Mage: the magician believes that the world can be different, believes in transformation and revolution, acts to renew relationships.
- Explorer: the explorer likes freedom to act and discover the world, he searches for new experiences and escapes from routine situations.
- Creator: the creator is the archetype of the artist, the inventor. This person is the one who gives life to the imagination and the things that don't exist yet.
- Hero: archetype present in movies and legends, the hero is the warrior and fearless. Fight to protect your own and don't fear the dangers.
- Rebel: this is the archetype of those who think differently, who break away from standards. He believes the rules can be broken.
- Lover: the lover is the one who gives great importance to relationships, he is sensitive and feels happy to love and be loved.
- Fool: the fool is cheerful and likes to have fun, to enjoy life and to make jokes. Also known as mad, the fool is authentic and is not ashamed to laugh at himself.
- Caregiver: the caregiver likes to take care of others and does everything possible so that everyone is well. They are usually very helpful and help those in need.
- Ordinary guy: the common man is the one who acts in accordance with what society expects. He is a good person to those around him but can lose his individuality.
- Innocent: the innocent is that person who knows how to see the positive aspects in all situations, he is spontaneous, but can be naive in some situations.
- Ruler: the ruler is the archetype of the leader, he has authority and knows how to impose himself, but he can become authoritarian to enforce his will.
Jung's archetypes
According to Jung, archetypes are the result of thousands of experiences of different generations of human beings, which accumulate and form the collective unconscious.
An example would be the maternal image: all people have a mother and can form their own image about this role, but there are similarities about the mother in the collective perception.
What Jung defends with the idea of archetype is the existence of ideas that are prior to the individual's own experiences.
This explains the existence of identical themes in myths and religions between social groups from different places and times that have not established any contact.
For Jung, the mind is a product of history: in addition to biological heritages, we have psychological heritages that influence our behaviors and experiences.
Another example of an image that has been repeated since the dawn of human life is the existence of a divine being who is turned to in difficult and unknown situations.
For Jung, understanding these structures is important for self-knowledge. The main archetypes studied by him were:
- Person: the persona archetype is related to the way individuals present themselves to society, to the role that the person assumes when in public.
- Shadow: the shadow is the archetype that refers to all the aspects of our personality that we don't know, be they virtues or defects.
- Animates: anima is the archetype of the feminine aspects of a man. According to Jung, all men have a minority of female genes and therefore have psychological characteristics of that gender.
- Animus: the animus is the archetype of masculine characteristics that manifest in a woman. For Jung, women also have a minority of male genes that make up their personality.
- Self: the self is the archetype that leads to the search for individuation, which, according to Jung, concerns the search for self-knowledge, spirituality and the understanding of the meaning of life and death.
See also the meaning of psychology.