The Word

The word 'Archetype' comes from the Greek arkhetupon ‘something moulded first as a model’, from arkhe- ‘primitive’ + tupos ‘a model’. It is the 'original pattern' or essence from which all other similar patterns, types and templates are based upon. Personality Archetypes represent primordial human characteristics. They can evoke deep feelings, be it inspiration, distaste or profound indifference. These reactions are all interesting.

Jungian Archetypes

Carl Gustav Jung, the Swiss psychiatrist, employed the concept of archetypes as universally collective portraits of personality types. He utilised these extensively in his work. The archetypes are timeless and depicted as myths and symbols. As humans, we usually have several archetypes at play at any given time although we tend to have one dominant character as our central theme. This represents our most automatic sense of self and governs our go-to behaviour.

Becoming familiar with our relationships with archetypes gives us greater clarity to the shape of our personality and it's strengths and weaknesses. This self-knowledge provides a frame for defining that ever-illusive concept of who we are. Without this fundamental grasp, attempts at change run the risk of being artificial and may well not serve our best interests. Wholesome change comes from honing our own original self to express itself untethered by false masks. This makes for more informed decisions and, therefore, a more resonant lifestyle.