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 is the perfect union between consciousness and unconsciousness, human and God. Humans experience such perfect union in the very moment of their birth, when they are still the whole. After that, life makes them change, and they split into different parts of their personalities. That's why people want to re-establish this perfect moment, the Nirvana.
The Shadow is the part of every person as well. Everyone has this dark side, even if it is perfectly hidden. It represents everything mysterious and dark, chaotic, the wildness in someone's character. These dark elements are mostly denied, and can take over if this person is in particularly dangerous situation, for example. Otherwise, some of these elements mostly appear in dreams or hallucinations only.
The Anima (female) and Animus (male) represent the way for communicating with the collective unconscious. They should represent true self, or the Soul. Jung says that all men have also their feminine side, and the same thing is with women, who have their masculine side as well. They also have their dominant feminine and masculine figures.
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.
Some others, like story archetypes, are also quite popular. The Hero represents power, strength, fighting for greater good, pride, while The Maiden stands for purity, for someone who needs protection, who is fragile and innocent. Another well known archetype is The Earth Mother, and it represents the Nature, with all her characteristics.
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 is the perfect union between consciousness and unconsciousness, human and God. Humans experience such perfect union in the very moment of their birth, when they are still the whole. After that, life makes them change, and they split into different parts of their personalities. That's why people want to re-establish this perfect moment, the Nirvana.
The Shadow is the part of every person as well. Everyone has this dark side, even if it is perfectly hidden. It represents everything mysterious and dark, chaotic, the wildness in someone's character. These dark elements are mostly denied, and can take over if this person is in particularly dangerous situation, for example. Otherwise, some of these elements mostly appear in dreams or hallucinations only.
The Anima (female) and Animus (male) represent the way for communicating with the collective unconscious. They should represent true self, or the Soul. Jung says that all men have also their feminine side, and the same thing is with women, who have their masculine side as well. They also have their dominant feminine and masculine figures.
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.
Some others, like story archetypes, are also quite popular. The Hero represents power, strength, fighting for greater good, pride, while The Maiden stands for purity, for someone who needs protection, who is fragile and innocent. Another well known archetype is The Earth Mother, and it represents the Nature, with all her characteristics.
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