The archetypes, According to Jung, they are universal patterns that are part of the collective unconscious and are the psychic counterpart of instinct. They are about behavioral and personality images and trends. Examples of archetypes are the person (how we see ourselves), the parent (figure of power), or the child (innocence, salvation).
In this sense, an archetype would be an element that allows to explain the generation of a series of mental images that are developed in a very similar way by different people from different cultures. The mother, the wise man, the hero or the maiden are some archetypes that Jung described.
According to Carl Jung, the archetypes are the form that is given to some experiences and memories of our ancestors; they are autonomous ancestral images that are part of the collective unconscious.
An important characteristic of archetypes is that they do not develop individually in each person, but are generated through the influence of the sociocultural context of each individual..
The transmission of thought patterns and the experimentation of typical events of each society are transmitted from generation to generation, thus creating a series of common archetypes for all people..
The establishment of archetypes was one of the bases of Carl Jung's theory of the collective unconscious, which maintains that all people have a common substrate in their psychic structure.
The author theorized a large number of different archetypes; in fact, the total number of archetypes is undefined. However, according to the author there are some more prevalent and important than others.
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Archetypes are the way in which a series of experiences and memories relating to ancestors are expressed. That is, each person develops a series of archetypes based on the experiences of their ancestry..
In this way, the archetypes defend the main idea of the collective unconscious and refer to common mental representations that all people present.
In the development of archetypes, the influence of the cultural context of each person plays a vital role. Individuals do not develop archetypes based on their personal experiences but rather based on the social experiences of their environment.
Regardless of their collective origin, if the archetypes are analyzed individually in each person, these result in emotional and behavioral patterns that determine the way of processing sensations, images and perceptions..
According to Carl Jung, contextual, cultural and ancestor influences cause the generation of archetypes, which accumulate in the unconscious of individuals and determine a large part of their psychic development..
In order to exemplify the idea of archetypes, Carl Jung used symbols and myths that seem to be in all cultures.
According to the Swiss author, the fact that all cultures have common elements shows that human societies think and act from a cognitive and emotional base that does not develop based on the experiences of each person..
In contrast, the cognitive and emotional base of all people would be regulated by the theory of the collective unconscious, which generates the development of a series of common archetypes for all individuals that are transmitted from generation to generation..
However, Carl Jung especially emphasized that archetypes are not inherited representations, but are inherited possibilities from representations..
In this way, the archetypes are not developed genetically but environmentally. Through genetics the ability to develop archetypes is transmitted. Subsequently, the person develops these archetypes through cultural influence.
Carl Jung's archetypes are recurring patterns of images and symbols that appear in different forms in all cultures.
They are characterized by presenting a slope that is inherited from generation to generation, so that an archetype is a piece that shapes a part of the collective unconscious, which is partially inherited.
Archetypes are therefore universal images that can be detected in cultural manifestations of different societies..
Speech, behavior, emotional reactions, and dreams are elements through which archetypes are expressed. For this reason, archetypes can be detected and isolated in any type of behavior of people.
According to Jung, these archetypes are part of the unconscious of people, so they affect behavior in an unconscious way. The person is not able to detect that a certain part of their way of being is influenced by the archetypes developed in their psyche.
In this sense, for certain psychoanalysts, Jung's archetypes are elements that cause certain roles and functions to appear in very different situations in the same culture..
According to Jung, a person can develop a large number of archetypes. The collective unconscious is a complex psychic structure that can accommodate a large number of representations.
However, the famous Swiss psychoanalyst determined five types of archetypes with higher development than the others.
Carl Jung's archetypes can be divided into two general categories: the main archetypes and the other archetypes.
The main archetypes are a series of unconscious representations that seem to play a major role in the development of the human psyche..
In this way, the main archetypes would be more relevant and generate a greater influence than the others in determining the development of the behavioral traits of individuals..
In this sense, Carl Jung determined that the five main archetypes of the collective unconscious of people are: the anima, the animus, the shadow, the person and the self..
Anima means soul in Latin and, according to Carl Jung's theory of the collective unconscious, defines the archetypal images of the eternal feminine in a man's unconscious.
The anima is an archetype that makes a link between the consciousness of the self and the collective unconscious, thus opening a path towards the self.
Thus, the anima is the archetype of the female figure, which is present in the unconscious of men. It is an archetypal image that is linked to the principle of Eros and reflects the nature of men's relationships, especially with women..
The anima is associated with a high emotionality and with the force of one's life. According to Carl Jung, men's relational problems are often a product of the unconscious identification with the anima or the projection of the anima onto the partner..
This fact, according to the Swiss psychoanalyst, generates a feeling of disappointment in the real person. It must be borne in mind that anima figures are not representations of specific women, but fantasies clothed with needs and experiences of an emotional nature..
The most representative figures of this archetype would be goddesses, famous women, maternal figures, maidens, sorceresses, and female creatures..
Ánimus means spirit in Latin and, according to the theory of the collective unconscious, refers to the archetypal images of the eternal masculine in the unconscious of a woman.
That is to say, it is the archetypal relative to the anima in women. As in its feminine parallelism, the animus forms a link between the consciousness of the self and the collective unconscious thus opening a path towards the self..
The animus is an archetype that is linked to its logos principle and reflects the nature of the connection with the world of ideas and spirit. According to Carl Jung, the animus is the archetype of meaning.
As with the anima, animus figures are not representations of concrete men, but of fantasies clothed with needs and experiences of an emotional nature..
Thus, the most characteristic animus figures would be father figures, famous men, religious figures, idealized figures and young people..
According to the theory of the collective unconscious, the unconscious identification with the animus or its projection in the couple usually generates a feeling of disappointment with the real person and generates vital and / or conjugal difficulties.
The shadow is another of the main archetypes of the collective unconscious that presents two different meanings.
On the one hand, the shadow is an archetype that represents the totality of the unconscious.
Second, the shadow refers to the unconscious aspect of people's personality, characterized by traits and attitudes that the conscious ego does not recognize as its own..
The shadow is a highly relevant archetype to conceptualize the theory of the collective unconscious, since it shows that all personal and collective psychic dispositions are not assumed by consciousness due to their incompatibility with personality..
Thus, the conscious personality rejects a large number of psychic elements that do not disappear, but instead develop an antagonistic agent of the ego in the unconscious..
This antagonistic agent of the conscious self is represented through the archetype of the shadow and is expressed through all those personality traits and behaviors that oneself does not accept as own and defining, and that it hides from others..
The person is an archetype antagonistic to the shadows. That is, it refers to the unconscious aspect of oneself that one wants to share with others..
The archetypal person encompasses all those unconscious elements that one adopts as part of his public image. The aspects referring to the person archetype are consonant with the conscious part of the individual, so the individual uses it as a defining part of himself..
Finally, the fifth main archetype of Carl Jung is the self, which is defined as the central archetype of the collective unconscious..
This archetype represents the last step in the individualization process of the person. In this sense, it is understood that the self is the archetypal image of the totality, experienced as a transpersonal power that it confers on life..
Although the anima, the animus, the shadow, the person and the self are the main archetypes, according to the theory of the collective unconscious there are multiple different archetypes.
According to Carl Jung, the rest of the archetypes are less relevant to the conformation of the collective unconscious than the main five. However, each of them seems to have a specific function.
In this sense, Carl Jung's archetypes can be classified through different modalities. There are archetypal events such as birth or death, archetypal themes such as creation or revenge, and archetypal figures such as the sage or the father..
Some of the archetypes that are not mainstream in the theory of the collective unconscious are discussed below..
According to the theory of the collective unconscious, the mother constitutes an archetypal image that allows the person to detect behaviors related to motherhood, just as the ancestors have experienced it..
For its part, the archetype of the father forms an authority figure that guides the individual's unconscious on how to live based on his example.
According to Carl Jung, the hero is another important archetypal figure. It refers to an image of power that is characterized by fighting against the shadow, that is, by that part of the unconscious that consciousness rejects.
The hero is an archetype that allows to keep at bay everything that should not invade the social sphere in order not to harm oneself.
Laughing and with a positive attitude towards life. He seeks to constantly make those close to him laugh and make this world a more pleasant and fun place. However, they are usually people with many deep shadows who use humor to mask their fears or pain.
He knows how to accept criticism, but can be very frivolous with others because he never filters.
The wise man is an archetypal figure whose main objective is to reveal the hero. The hero is an archetype who fights with determination against the shadow but acts in an unreflective way.
In this sense, the wise man brings reflection and rationality to the hero's performance in order to develop more adapted and effective behaviors.
The trickser, also known as a trickster, is the archetype that is responsible for introducing jokes and violating established rules.
It sets traps and paradoxes to the functioning of the hero and serves to review to what extent the laws are convenient and / or vulnerable.
This archetype is labeled naive, dreamy, unreal. Trust everyone and show a positive attitude in the face of any adversity. He lives carefree and his goal is to be happy.
The caregiver is a profile that bases its existence on protecting and helping others. She feels stronger than the rest and acts in an almost maternal way, seeking to avoid any harm to her protégé.
Its weakness is that it is an archetype very prone to being exploited by other people who are aware of its good nature. He is very generous and compassionate, but if he gets fed up he will reproach all the sacrifices he makes for the rest.
This profile has as its greatest desire the feeling of belonging. He does not give up in the search for human relationships and it is common to see him integrating himself in different communities to find that place where he can fit in..
They are honest and value the collective over the individual, but they can also show a negative and quite cynical attitude.
Also known as "the outlaw", this archetype stands out for his initiatives to bring down what they believe does not work. They do not believe in impositions and feel satisfied thinking differently from the rest.
Independent, charismatic, provocative or inspiring, but also aggressive, obsessive or self-destructive.
The most passionate archetype. He is sensitive and what he most adores is love, affection and all harmonious sentimental ties. Their greatest fear is not feeling wanted and, therefore, they are capable of losing their own identity in order to please their loved one..
Believe in all forms of love, not only in the romantic or sexual relationship. From the maternal to the loving relationship that can be created in their work environment.
Leader archetype. Individual with a desire to take center stage and carry out tasks according to their criteria. They are always in control of the situation and it is difficult for them to delegate, since they think that only they achieve excellence, which is their obsession.
Although his way of accepting responsibility is key in many respects, his despotic and authoritarian style can cause discomfort among those close to him. Hates chaos.
A person of ideals and charismatic at the same time. He is in a constant process of transformation due to his curiosity to know everything that happens in the universe. He loves to contribute novel ideas and philosophical conceptions.
The problem is that it can distort the everyday and turn the positive into the negative. That is, he fulfills the profile of a manipulator, where his ideas prevail over others.
The creator is not satisfied with what is available to him. He seeks to create something new, that bears his stamp and that transforms his environment or the world. They value freedom and are very dreamy, so much so that that is their greatest weakness. They spend more time thinking than creating than doing it.
They admire talent and imagination, but also suffer from creative blocks that turn into frustration. Artists are the perfect example of this archetype.
Restless person with a desire to discover. Traveling is her passion and she is not afraid to move from one place to another to nourish herself with new cultural concepts, ideas or even philosophical insights..
He is loyal to his principles, but his adventurous style does not allow him to cling to any job or romantic relationship that binds him to conformity..
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