Carl Jung’s Archetypes and How to Use them
Carl Jung’s work left an immense mark on psychology, here we look at his archetypes
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was born in Kesswil, Switzerland, on July 26, 1875. His childhood was one of solitude and spiritual inquiry, this was to foster his interest in the human psyche.
In 1902, Jung completed his medical degree and then took off on a journey of psychological exploration, much of which he put down to his influential aunt, a psychic. He began working at the Burgholzli Hospital in Zurich and came to know Sigmund Freud, the founder of psychoanalysis.
Jung quickly became Freud’s protege and worked closely with him from 1906 to 1913. However, their relationship gradually soured as Jung delved into his own theoretical framework, emphasizing the collective unconscious and archetypes, concepts that differed greatly from Freud’s focus on individual experiences and the Oedipus complex.
Basically, Freud believed that all of our issues were sexual in nature, Jung believed they were spiritual.
Carl Jung’s psychology
Jung’s path led to the development of analytical psychology, a comprehensive system of psychological thought that explores the depths of the human psyche. His contributions to psychology are vast, they included concepts like individuation, the process of becoming a whole and integrated person, and the exploration of dream symbolism as a source of great and profound psychological insight.
Among his most interesting works is that concerned with the archetypes.
Jung believed that archetypes come from the collective unconscious. Let’s define that first of all.
The collective unconscious, according to old Carl, is an inherited layer of the unconscious mind, shared by all humans. They contain universal symbols i.e. archetypes that influence our dreams, myths, and behaviors.
For example, we can all think of myths and legends concerning the ‘mother’ figure. Others include the trickster, the father, the hunter, and so on.
In his book “The Structure of the Psyche”, he said that these symbols are “innate, universal, unlearned, and hereditary” and that “all the most powerful ideas in history go back to archetypes.”
He continues:
“This is particularly true of religious ideas, but the central concepts of science, philosophy, and ethics are no exception to this rule. In their present form, they are variants of archetypal ideas created by consciously applying and adapting these ideas to reality. For it is the function of consciousness, not only to recognize and assimilate the external world through the gateway of the senses but to translate into visible reality the world within us.”
Like Freud, he rejected the idea of ‘tabula rasa’ which was commonly held by psychologists at the time. This is the idea that the human mind is a black slate at birth and that our minds are developed thanks to our individual experiences. Jung’s idea was that we were born with “fundamental, unconscious, biological aspects of our ancestors.”
He called these “primordial images,” and they serve as the basic foundation of how to be human.
The four archetypes
Jung identified four major archetypes:
The Persona: The persona is the social mask we wear to present ourselves to the world. It represents our outward persona, the image we project to others based on who we think we are, our individual expectations, and the societal norms of our surroundings.
The Shadow: The shadow archetype represents the hidden, unconscious aspects of our personality, including our repressed emotions, desires, and impulses.
The Anima/Animus: The anima and animus are archetypes that represent the feminine and masculine aspects of the psyche, respectively. In men, the anima represents the unconscious feminine. In women, the animus represents the unconscious masculine.
The traits for both of these include, for the anima: qualities like intuition, emotion, and connection while for the animus, include: logic, rationality, and independence.
The Self: The self archetype represents the totality of the psyche, the integrated, unified personality we strive to achieve. It is the goal of individuation, a lifelong process of self-discovery and personal growth.
Since Dr. Jung wrote about his idea of archetypes they have very much been embraced by popular culture. You can even now purchase divination and oracle cards regarding the archetypes and they include such figures as the mother, the father, the trickster, the magician, the wounded child, the warrior, the entertainer etc.
But if we peel back the onion skin just a little bit on those figures we can actually see they are all based on a mixing of Jung’s original four aspects. Jung however, wouldn’t have disapproved of this approach, he believed that the four archetypes could overlap and intermingle and present themselves as something else. With the aim of the game being that they would appear in dreams, visions, and meditations to guide the person experiencing them towards an aspect of their inner life they should attend to.
How can we use the archetypes?
How can these be useful for us in today’s world you might ask?
One of Jung’s paramount ideas was the concept of individuation. It is a lifelong process of personal growth and self-discovery, aiming to achieve a more authentic and integrated sense of self. Basically, it’s what Eastern philosophy/spirituality would call ‘enlightenment’.
And just like in the Eastern traditions, it involves confronting and integrating the unconscious aspects of the psyche. According to Jung, this meant coming to know, accept, and integrate the persona, the shadow, the anima/animus, and the self.
How can we do this?
Through things like dream analysis and meditation. I would suggest keeping a dream journal and/or meditation journal and writing down your experiences. Then going through them and examining them finely so that you find some answers.
Let’s take a simple example. I recently dreamed of a green-colored kingfisher gathering nesting material. So I asked myself what seems to be the overall meaning? A bird is preparing material because it wants safe shelter, maybe it is preparing to lay eggs. What does a kingfisher symbolize to me? They are beautiful birds, fast, agile, good hunters.
Of course you can enlist some help online, looking up what are some commonly-known beliefs regarding kingfishers, although it must be stressed that your personal meanings must come first.
On looking up the kingfisher I found that in Native American traditions, it is seen as a deliverer of good news while in Polynesia, the bird represents control over the seas and in Ancient Greece it was seen as a symbol of purity and true love.
The color green? For me, it is the ever-renewal of nature, the cycle of life.
What could it all mean then? For me, it seems to mean something connected with my home life, the constant working on personal relationships within the family home, being adaptable to new situations, being prepared and doing it with love. Possibly there’s some good news on the horizon too.
Hi, I’m Paddy. Thanks for reading my article. I’m a counselor, coach, and meditation teacher.
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