Jungian Archetypes

Jungian Archetypes

Carl Gustav Jung developed an understanding of archetypes as being "ancient or archaic images that derive from the collective unconscious". These are different from instincts, as Jung understood instincts as being "an unconscious physical impulse toward actions and the archetype as the psychic counterpart". There are many different archetypes and Jung has stated they are limitless, but they have been simplified; examples include the persona, the shadow, the anima, the animus, the great mother, the wise old man, the hero, and the self. The great mother, the wise old man, and the hero tend to be considered add-ons from the basic set, because they are not included in Jung’s map of the soul along with the others. The archetypes can be used for a sense of understanding as well as for a state of treatment "The archetype is a tendency to form such representations of a motif - representations that can vary a great deal in detail without losing their basic pattern ... They are indeed an instinctive trend". Thus, "the archetype of initiation is strongly activated to provide a meaningful transition ... with a 'rite of passage' from one stage of life to the next": such stages may include being parented, initiation, courtship, marriage and preparation for death.