The concept of archetypes divides opinion. That shouldn’t come as any real surprise when pop culture has reduced the idea of an archetype to a singular personality type.
This superficial approach we adopt prompts people to ask, “Which archetype am I?”
The question you should be asking, is “Which archetype is influencing my life right now?”
Moreover, some archetypes will influence your life in a positive, constructive and mature way. Others will influence your life in a negative, destructive and infantile way.
An understanding of the archetypes, therefore, enables you to determine which archetype bring solutions and which archetypes cause problems.
You can do this by observing your patterns of thoughts, emotions, actions, beliefs, attitudes and experiences. The archetypes model in the Master Mind Content Essential Self-Development Program will also serve as an invaluable guide to help you identify which archetype is making itself known.
Archetypes are classed as “habitual currents of psychic energy” that are common to all mankind. [1]
The eminent psychoanalyst, Carl Jung described archetypes as innate, non-learned and hereditary mental images present in the collective unconscious of humans that “takes possession of the whole man and impels him to play a corresponding role”. [2]
One could say the archetypes are subtle energies that emerge as an “active organising principle” which ultimately shapes and moulds the personality that is adopted by the ego.
In other words, the archetypes represent the qualities (good and bad) of mankind. Integrating archetypal energies enables you to become whole.
Jung identified that archetypes can be recognised in patterns of behaviour, thoughts and feelings. Some of these patterns are healthy and constructive, others are unhealthy and destructive.
Destructive patterns of behaviour such as addictions, outbursts and obsessions are driven by autonomous complexes and neurotic behaviours that prompt you to do things without your knowing the full extent of why you are taking a particular action or having a particular opinion or attitude.
You may be consciously aware that you want to take the action, i.e. drink alcohol, eat sugary snacks, buy something new etc. You probably even think you do these things because it calms you down or makes you feel good (dopamine hit).
However, even though you may also be consciously aware the behaviour is ultimately destructive and do it anyway, you’re probably not aware of the motivating factor behind your behaviour.
The real question is why do you think the way you think, do the things you do and why do you feel the way you feel?
When you know something has a hold over you but you can’t put an end to it, you need to observe your thoughts, emotions and actions and understand what the underlying driver is that compels you to make decisions.
According to Jungian thought, these habits start as coping mechanisms. The archetypal energy takes possession of the conscious mind whenever they have an opportunity to impose themselves on your environment at the appropriate time.
Because coping mechanisms typically reprieve the ego of emotional pain or discomfort, pleasure or joy [4] the ego associates with the coping mechanism — even when the solution is infantile or destructive (i.e. substance abuse).
When an archetype takes possession, it usually serves as a defence mechanism because you lack information that would inform the ego how to respond to a specific moment in time in a mature or constructive way.
The reason why you have not developed the information you need to effectively manage a situation is that the archetype that is responsible for managing a particular situation has been repressed and not given the opportunity to develop.
These are the aspects of your personality that have either been buried, forgotten or ignored and “not capable of becoming conscious in the ordinary way.” [6]
When this happens, we often tend to accept that this is just the way we are. “It’s in my genes.” “It’s in my DNA”.
However, as Jung discovered, the problem is not in your genes, it’s in your complexes.
Jung noted that when parts of our personality are repressed they become “split-off.” This means that an archetype is not fully formed. It is underdeveloped and, shows up in underdeveloped “infantile” behaviours.
The Swiss called this state of consciousness a complex. Decades of studies have found that complexes appear as patterns of behaviour…so much so that academics have given specific patterns labels; Father complex, God complex, insecurity complex, Oedipus complex, Peter Pan Syndrome etc.
Thus it seems apparent that coping mechanisms mutate into personified complexes which contribute to our character traits and personality.
Jung proposed there was a connection between the archetypes and a complex, but made the distinction that a complex belongs to the personal unconscious (subconscious program), whereas the archetype belongs to the collective unconscious.
Thought-Provoking Quote
“The contents of the personal unconscious are chiefly the feeling-toned complexes, as they are called; they constitute the personal and private side of psychic life. The contents of the collective unconscious, on the other hand, are known as archetypes.”
~ Carl Jung, CW9 Part 1, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious [7]
So remember, archetypes are a blueprint for humans in their wholeness. The English word for ‘whole’ has the same root word for ‘healthy.’ Integrating the archetypes makes us healthy.
When you are in sound physical and mental health, you are accomplished at managing your environment, experiencing happiness and joy, achieving success in all aspects of your life and feeling more fulfilled in general.
A complex, on the other hand, belongs to the personal unconscious because the archetype is not in its fullness. The information the archetype can provide you is not stored as a memory (a subconscious program) and is prevented from expressing itself fully.
A repressed archetype can only express the information it offers that is programmed in your subconscious as an “acceptable behaviour”.
You can read more about how archetypes become split-off from conscious awareness in the article titled: Fragmentation: Split-off Consciousness, Complexes and Neuroses.
When the archetypes are split-off they are fragmented or dismembered. To integrate the archetype, you need to re-member the repressed part of your personality so that the information it offers is accessible to the conscious mind.
It’s fairly well established now that dismemberment happens in childhood. A child naturally expresses an animal side of human nature that is not considered acceptable in modern civilisation.
The child is subsequently, reprimanded, given a disapproving look or told their behaviour is not acceptable. Subsequently, that side of our personality is buried in the unconscious and not given life.
However, dismemberment can happen at any time in your life and one fragmented part of the personality can suffer further degradation over time. As we established above, the dismembered part serves as a coping mechanism which becomes a complex, which becomes a neuroses which becomes and disease and finally a debilitating disease.
This is what happens, for example, with individuals who suffer from anxiety and depression (De-Pression = a loss of Ex-Pression).
By locking up an aspect of our personality, we can be denying ourselves access to all the best qualities that archetypes can give us. The longer it is suppressed and remains unlived, the more energy it can gather.
When an archetype has a sufficient amount of energy, it takes possession of the ego and takes on a life of its own.
Thought-Provoking Quote
“I wanted to express the fact that one or other basic instinct, or complex of ideas, will invariably concentrate upon itself the greatest sum of psychic energy and thus force the ego into its service. As a rule, the ego is drawn into this focus of energy so powerfully that it identifies with it and thinks it desires and needs nothing further. In this way, a craze develops, a monomania or possession, an acute one-sidedness which most seriously imperils the psychic equilibrium….“A man thinks that he wills and chooses, and does not notice that he is already possessed, that his interest has become the master, arrogating all power to itself”
~ Carl Jung, CW7 Two Essays on Analytical Psychology [8]
So a complex takes possession of the ego and becomes a part of your personality; anger, frustration when you can’t get what you want, sabotaging relationships, addiction. Fill in your blanks here.
As you are probably aware, possession can continue for years. It will happen for an entire lifetime if you choose not to do anything about it.
The key is to integrate the underdeveloped archetypes into the conscious mind by acknowledging its existence and owning it.
This is where the archetypes model and the associated tools in the Essential Self-Development Program pay its weight in gold. The information you have access to will help you to understand which qualities you need to integrate and how.
To become happy, fulfilled and successful, you need to integrate split-off consciousness by re-membering the dis-membered parts of your personality.
In addition, there may be aspects of human nature that you are not consciously aware of because you have never needed them.
These missing parts are, theoretically, available in the Morphic Field but can be found in many places such as books, films and people that inspire you. I have crammed the Archetypes Tool with as much detail about the archetypes that I've found to date!
Jung further believed that identifying unconscious archetypes and integrating them into conscious awareness changes the internal structure of the personality and enables you to adapt to your environment.
The more healthy qualities of the archetypes you integrate into your conscious awareness, the better equipped you are to perform appropriate actions in any given situation.
Doing so means you will enjoy more success, satisfaction, love and fulfilment.
Archetypal qualities that are ignored, on the other hand, continue to impress themselves on the conscious mind in ways that you don’t fully understand; they try to make themselves known to the ego by creating conflict and chaos.
Unsavoury experiences you have in life are an indication to observe the unconscious archetype and acknowledge its presence. When you recognise an archetype, you have a better understanding of how this superconscious power can help take you from surviving to thriving.
Because thoughts, actions and emotions determine how you experience life, it’s in your best interests to recognise your archetypes as a friend whenever it behaves as a foe.
Remember that archetypal energies are behind all the conflict and chaos you experience in life. They cause your anger, resentment, restlessness, jealousy, frustration, dissatisfaction, insecurity, addictions, bitterness, depression, moods and the raft of other unhealthy energies that belong to human nature.
But they also bring you the freedom, joy and fulfilment that makes you feel alive.
Observing the unhealthy qualities that influence your decision-making and create your experience of reality is the first step to improving your life.
As the Jungian psychologist Robert Johnson points out:
Archetypes should, therefore, be treated with respect. If it helps you to integrate the missing aspects of your personality, treat the archetypes as “little people” that form your personality and take on specific roles and tasks you need to perform.
The more qualities you have conscious access to, the better equipped you are to cope with life. In short, the ego needs to develop to cope with life.
Ultimately, archetypal energies impact thoughts, emotions and actions which create your experience of life. [12] Therefore, the qualities that each of the archetypes offers need to be brought into the light of the conscious mind so that you have more control over your emotions and behaviours.
So then you have to ask yourself, which archetypal qualities have you integrated into the Self-ego axis so far and which qualities do you need to integrate to bring about a balanced and stable personality?
You can identify that by observing your habitual patterns of thoughts, behaviours and emotions by checking them against the qualities listed in the Archetypes Tool. Habitual patterns are programs and programs are memories. [13]
Once you are consciously aware of the archetypal qualities that cause conflict, you can start reprogramming your subconscious with healthy and constructive qualities that are rooted in a love-based centre.
Upgrading your subconscious involves forming new habits, beliefs, attitudes and perceptions to create new synapses. Use the tools and philosophies in the handbook to help guide you. If you feel as though you need help utilise the Changing Habits Tool from the Bonus Tools
Read the article titled: Upgrading The Subconscious: How Habits Are Formed to understand the science behind habit forming.
But for now, all you need to know is that habits are built on information processed by the nervous system. Information is carried by energy. Energy becomes matter. Matter becomes your experience of reality.
Thought-Provoking Quote
“There is no matter that does not carry information and energy. Similarly, there is no energy that does not carry matter and information. And there is no information that is not carried by matter and energy. Matter and energy are the carriers of messages or information.”
~ Dr Rulin Xiu: Tao Science: The Science, Wisdom, and Practice of Creation and Grand Unification [14]
[1] Carl Jung, CW9 Part 1The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, 2nd edition, para 634, (1968)
[2] Carl Jung, Psychology and Alchemy CW12 para 558 p.477, 2nd ed (1952)
[3] Abraham Maslow: Toward A Psychology Of Being, p.32 Kindle Loc 570 (1962)
[4] Carl Jung, Man and His Symbols, p.79 (1964)
[5] Carl Jung, CW9 Part 1, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious,2nd ed, para 134 (1968)
[6] Sigmund Freud, The Ego and the Id, p.6, Kindle Loc 73 (1923)
[7] Carl Jung, CW9 Part 1, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, 2nd ed, Para 4 (1968)
[8] Carl Jung, CW7 Two Essays on Analytical Psychology (1928), para 111
[9] [Carl Jung, CW9 Part 1, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, 2nd ed, para 160 (1968)
[10] Robert Johnson, Inner Work: Using Dreams and Active Imagination for Personal Growth (1989)
[11] Philip Freund, Myths of Creation, Kindle Loc 1102 (1964)
[13] What is Information Processing Theory?; Imed Bouchrika, (2022)
[14] Dr Rulin Xiu: Tao Science: The Science, Wisdom, and Practice of Creation and Grand Unification
