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.
Four major ones are The Shadow, The Self, The Anima or Animus and The Persona. Jung says that there are numerous other archetypes, and many of them overlap and can be easily linked to the main ones. There are, for example, animal archetypes such as the faithful dog, and this one represents unquestionable loyalty.
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 all about human hidden nature, dark and chaotic. Every person have this dark side, there are no exceptions. People usually try to hide their dark side, and sometimes they aren't aware of all aspect of this nature. This side of personality may appear in hallucinations, in dreams or in some special situations. Sometimes this dark side can prevail.
The Animus and the Anima represent male and female, or masculine and feminine sides of human personalities. They also stand as a mean for communicate with collective unconscious. Every person has feminine and masculine side, both men and women. Also, men usually have only one dominant female figure in their life, while women are usually more complex.
The Syzygy represents the divine couple, or the perfect combination and unity between the Anima and The Animus. These elements should be perfectly balanced. The perfect combination stands for complete wholeness. This can be related to a search for a soul-mate. The word is also used to denote the alignment of planets.
Another archetype, the Persona, is named by one Latin word that actually means the mask. This mask is actually a shield between person and different negative influences. People wear masks because they want other people to see them clever, brave or self-conscious, for example. They wear different masks, depending on their goals, as well as their fears.
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.
You will find numerous story archetypes used in literature, for example. The Wise Old Man is there to offer his wisdom. Life experience and knowledge. The Maiden is in trouble, fragile, innocent and pure, while The Hero comes to rescue, brave and strong. The Earth Mother is really the nature, and this particular archetype is also recognizable.
Four major ones are The Shadow, The Self, The Anima or Animus and The Persona. Jung says that there are numerous other archetypes, and many of them overlap and can be easily linked to the main ones. There are, for example, animal archetypes such as the faithful dog, and this one represents unquestionable loyalty.
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 all about human hidden nature, dark and chaotic. Every person have this dark side, there are no exceptions. People usually try to hide their dark side, and sometimes they aren't aware of all aspect of this nature. This side of personality may appear in hallucinations, in dreams or in some special situations. Sometimes this dark side can prevail.
The Animus and the Anima represent male and female, or masculine and feminine sides of human personalities. They also stand as a mean for communicate with collective unconscious. Every person has feminine and masculine side, both men and women. Also, men usually have only one dominant female figure in their life, while women are usually more complex.
The Syzygy represents the divine couple, or the perfect combination and unity between the Anima and The Animus. These elements should be perfectly balanced. The perfect combination stands for complete wholeness. This can be related to a search for a soul-mate. The word is also used to denote the alignment of planets.
Another archetype, the Persona, is named by one Latin word that actually means the mask. This mask is actually a shield between person and different negative influences. People wear masks because they want other people to see them clever, brave or self-conscious, for example. They wear different masks, depending on their goals, as well as their fears.
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.
You will find numerous story archetypes used in literature, for example. The Wise Old Man is there to offer his wisdom. Life experience and knowledge. The Maiden is in trouble, fragile, innocent and pure, while The Hero comes to rescue, brave and strong. The Earth Mother is really the nature, and this particular archetype is also recognizable.
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