Jungean Archetypes in Literature : Some Really Important Notes

The Man Carl Jung is considered to be one of the fathers of modern psychology. A contemporary of Sigmund Freud, Jung was interested in what he called the “collective unconscious”

The Psyche The whole of who we are – the who, how, what, when and where –Thoughts –Feelings –Behaviors –Experiences –Histories –Our very existence There are two parts to our existence: –Conscious –Unconscious

The Personal Versus the Collective Unconscious The “collective unconscious” or that we all share a part of each other’s psyches and experiences We share so much it is too much to grasp – the psyche needs a way to make sense of it, to order the many thoughts, feelings, behaviors and experiences we share Use archetypes to understand ourselves and other people Are processed and renewed within our unconscious Made known to our conscious minds

What is an archetype??? “a universal and recurring image, pattern or motif representing a typical and shared human experience.” -Jung- They are part of everyone’s psyche They are found everywhere in our society They are revealed to our conscious by images in life.

Jung’s Main Archetypes: The Self The Persona/Shadow The Anima/Animus

Although the number of archetypes is limitless, there are a few particularly notable, recurring archetypal images: The Child The Hero The Great Mother The Wise Old Man/Woman/Sage The Trickster or Fox

The Self The Self is the regulating center of the psyche Helps us develop our identity and the way we uniquely see ourselves, others and the world Also known as the ego (helps us adaptively surf our environments)

The Hero

The Willing Hero

The Unwilling Hero

The Tragic Hero

The Persona Your “mask” The "good impression" Also the “imposter”

The Shadow The opposite of the ego image. It often contains qualities that the ego does not identify with (and sometimes fears), but possesses nonetheless. It is the "dark side" of the ego, and the evil that we are capable of is often stored there. The opposite of the ego image. It often contains qualities that the ego does not identify with (and sometimes fears), but possesses nonetheless. It is the "dark side" of the ego, and the evil that we are capable of is often stored there.

The Shadow, Continued Actually, the shadow is amoral Early Jung: We have this animal side that comes out. It does what it does without thought for consequence.

The Shadow It is our instincts – our irrational, inhuman and brutal side that lurks below consciousness……. Why repressed? –Shame –FearWe don’t like what we see –Disgust

Anima/Animus the unconscious or true inner self of an individual, as opposed to the persona or outer aspect of the personality.personapersonality In the unconscious of the male, it finds expression as a feminine inner personality: anima;unconscious in the unconscious of the female, it is expressed as a masculine inner personality: animus.masculine

Animus/Anima

Wise Old Man/Woman (the Sage)

The Child

The Great Mother

The Trickster

Other Common Archetypes The threshold guardian

Other Common Archetypes The shapeshifter

Other Common Archetypes The Healer

Other Common Archetypes Death