Four Major Archetypes Jung Introduced
Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung was interested in philosophy, sociology and even astrology. He was the first to propose the concepts of extroverted and introverted personalities. He also developed the theory of the collective unconscious, introducing archetypes and symbols as universal keys for unlocking the mysteries of human personality. The most important archetypes Jung introduced are explained here.
Although Jung recognized great number of archetypes, the main ones are called The Shadow, The Self, The Anima or Animus and The Persona. No person is determined with only one of them, and all other types are often overlapped and linked to this major ones. Take for example Animal archetypes. When it comes to, for example The Horse, this archetype describes hard and steady work without rest.
The Self represents the coherent whole that unifies consciousness and unconsciousness. It stands for self and god at the same time. This stage exists in the moment of birth, for example, when people still didn't start to change and split into different parts. This really is the real harmony. Similar elements can be found in Nirvana principles.
The Shadow represents deeper elements of the psyche, the ones people usually are aware of at some point, but rarely want to admit, even to themselves. It embodies dark, mysterious, wild and chaotic. You can also describe them as dark elements of someone's nature. These elements may appear in dreams, in hallucinations or in some specific life situations, when they can even take over.
The Animus and The Anima represent masculine and feminine or the soul, the true self. It is the way to be in contact with collective unconscious. All people have both feminine and masculine sides. They also have feminine and masculine figures in their lives, that determine them as persons. Jung says women are more complex when it comes to that.
The perfect balance or the perfect unity between these feminine and masculine sides in Anima and Animus makes the wholeness. It is also called the Syzygy. The same term is also used for the alignment of planets. This need for achieving wholeness can also be related to a term the soul-mate. People are trying to find their other half, to achieve the perfect wholeness.
The Persona represents the way people want to be seen by other people. Derived from a Latin word that means mask, this archetype acts as a shield from negative influences. Your mask is usually there to protect you. This is actually the way you want other people to see you in different situations, and that's why people wear different masks in different situations.
Other archetypes are also important, and some are mostly easy recognizable. For example, family ones. The most popular ones are Father, Mother and Child. Father stands for authority, power and control, Mother is often used to describe comfort, nurturing and safety, and Child represents birth, beginning, full innocence and similar characteristics.
Widely recognizable story archetypes can be found in ancient history as well. For example, the Wise Old Man stands for knowledge, wisdom and life experience. The Hero stands for strength, unselfishness, bravery, he is a rescuer, while The Maiden pictures innocence, youth, beauty and purity, but also weakness. Mother Earth is really the Nature, of course
Although Jung recognized great number of archetypes, the main ones are called The Shadow, The Self, The Anima or Animus and The Persona. No person is determined with only one of them, and all other types are often overlapped and linked to this major ones. Take for example Animal archetypes. When it comes to, for example The Horse, this archetype describes hard and steady work without rest.
The Self represents the coherent whole that unifies consciousness and unconsciousness. It stands for self and god at the same time. This stage exists in the moment of birth, for example, when people still didn't start to change and split into different parts. This really is the real harmony. Similar elements can be found in Nirvana principles.
The Shadow represents deeper elements of the psyche, the ones people usually are aware of at some point, but rarely want to admit, even to themselves. It embodies dark, mysterious, wild and chaotic. You can also describe them as dark elements of someone's nature. These elements may appear in dreams, in hallucinations or in some specific life situations, when they can even take over.
The Animus and The Anima represent masculine and feminine or the soul, the true self. It is the way to be in contact with collective unconscious. All people have both feminine and masculine sides. They also have feminine and masculine figures in their lives, that determine them as persons. Jung says women are more complex when it comes to that.
The perfect balance or the perfect unity between these feminine and masculine sides in Anima and Animus makes the wholeness. It is also called the Syzygy. The same term is also used for the alignment of planets. This need for achieving wholeness can also be related to a term the soul-mate. People are trying to find their other half, to achieve the perfect wholeness.
The Persona represents the way people want to be seen by other people. Derived from a Latin word that means mask, this archetype acts as a shield from negative influences. Your mask is usually there to protect you. This is actually the way you want other people to see you in different situations, and that's why people wear different masks in different situations.
Other archetypes are also important, and some are mostly easy recognizable. For example, family ones. The most popular ones are Father, Mother and Child. Father stands for authority, power and control, Mother is often used to describe comfort, nurturing and safety, and Child represents birth, beginning, full innocence and similar characteristics.
Widely recognizable story archetypes can be found in ancient history as well. For example, the Wise Old Man stands for knowledge, wisdom and life experience. The Hero stands for strength, unselfishness, bravery, he is a rescuer, while The Maiden pictures innocence, youth, beauty and purity, but also weakness. Mother Earth is really the Nature, of course
About the Author:
You can visit www.awakenarts.com for more helpful information about Four Major Archetypes Jung Introduced.