Theories Personality Psychology What Are the Jungian Archetypes? Do you know your dominant archetype? By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." Learn about our editorial process Updated on May 05, 2024 Learn more." tabindex="0" data-inline-tooltip="true"> Reviewed Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by mental health professionals. Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication and upon substantial updates. Learn more. by David Susman, PhD Reviewed by David Susman, PhD David Susman, PhD is a licensed clinical psychologist with experience providing treatment to individuals with mental illness and substance use concerns. Learn about our Review Board Print Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Personal vs. Collective Unconscious The Origins of Jung's Archetypes The Main Archetypes Archetypical Figures Frequently Asked Questions Close Archetypes are universal, inborn models of distinct aspects of identity and personality that play a role in influencing human behavior. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung's theory suggested that these archetypes were archaic forms of innate human knowledge passed down from our ancestors. In Jungian psychology, these archetypes represent universal patterns and images that are part of the collective unconscious. Jung believed that we inherit these archetypes much in the way we inherit instinctive patterns of behavior. Continue reading to learn more about Jung's four main archetypes, their unique characteristics and functions, and how to achieve individuation. Verywell / Hugo Lin Personal vs. Collective Unconscious Jung was originally a follower of Sigmund Freud. The relationship eventually fractured over Jung's criticism of Freud's emphasis on sexuality during development, which led Jung to develop his own psychoanalytic approach known as analytical psychology. While Jung agreed with Freud that the unconscious played an important role in personality and behavior, he expanded on Freud's idea of the personal unconscious to include what Jung called the collective unconscious. Jung believed that the human psyche was composed of three components: The ego (or conscious mind) The personal unconscious The collective unconscious According to Jung, the ego represents the conscious mind, and the personal unconscious contains memories—including those that have been suppressed. The collective unconscious is a unique component in that Jung believed that this part of the psyche served as a form of psychological inheritance. It contained all of the knowledge and experiences that humans share as a species. The Origins of Jungian Archetypes Jung believed that archetypes come from the collective unconscious. He suggested that these models are innate (unlearned), hereditary, and universal. Archetypes organize how we experience certain things throughout life. "All the most powerful ideas in history go back to archetypes," Jung explained in his book, "The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche." This is particularly true of religious ideas, but the central concepts of science, philosophy, and ethics are no exception to this rule. In their present form, they are variants of archetypal ideas created by consciously applying and adapting these ideas to reality. For it is the function of consciousness, not only to recognize and assimilate the external world through the gateway of the senses but to translate into visible reality the world within us. — CARL JUNG Jung rejected the concept of tabula rasa or the notion that the human mind is a blank slate at birth to be written solely by experience. He believed that the human mind retains fundamental, unconscious, biological aspects of our ancestors. These "primordial images," as he initially dubbed them, serve as a basic foundation of how to be human. The archaic and mythic characters that make up the archetypes reside within all people from all over the world, Jung believed. Archetypes symbolize basic human motivations, values, and personalities. Jung believed that each archetype played a role in personality, but felt that most people were dominated by one specific archetype. According to Jung, the actual way in which an archetype is expressed or realized depends upon a number of factors, including an individual's cultural influences and unique personal experiences. The Main Archetypes Jung identified four major archetypes but also believed that there was no limit to the number that may exist. The existence of these archetypes cannot be observed directly but can be inferred by looking at religion, dreams, art, and literature. Jung's four major archetypes are: the persona, the shadow, the anima/animus, and the self. The Persona The persona is how we present ourselves to the world. The word "persona" is derived from a Latin word that literally means "mask." It is not a literal mask, however. The persona represents all of the different social masks that we wear among various groups and situations. It acts to shield the ego from negative images. According to Jung, the persona may appear in dreams and take different forms. Over the course of development, children learn that they must behave in certain ways in order to fit in with society's expectations and norms. The persona develops as a social mask to contain all of the primitive urges, impulses, and emotions that are not considered socially acceptable. The persona archetype allows people to adapt to the world around them and fit in with the society in which they live. However, becoming too closely identified with this archetype can lead people to lose sight of their true selves. The Shadow The shadow is a Jungian archetype that consists of sex and life instincts. It is part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings. The shadow forms out of our attempts to comply with cultural norms and expectations. It is this archetype that contains all of the things that are unacceptable not only to society but also to one's own personal morals and values. It might include things such as envy, greed, prejudice, hate, and aggression. Jung suggested that the shadow can appear in dreams or visions and may take a variety of forms. It might appear as a snake, a monster, a demon, a dragon, or some other dark, wild, or exotic figure. This archetype is often described as the darker side of the psyche, representing wildness, chaos, and the unknown. These latent dispositions are present in all of us, Jung believed, although people sometimes deny this element of their own psyche and instead project it on to others. The Anima or Animus The anima is the feminine part of the male psyche, and the animus is the male part of the female psyche. The feminine is characterized by empathy, trust, intuition, and emotional connections with others. The masculine anima is related to logical thinking, problem-solving, and emotional stability. These archetypal images are based upon both what is found in the collective and personal unconscious. For example, in regards to the anima in men, the collective unconscious may contain notions about how women should behave while personal experience with wives, girlfriends, sisters, and mothers contribute to more personal images of women. Jung believed that physiological changes as well as social influences contributed to the development of sex roles and gender identities. Jung suggested the influence of the animus and anima archetypes were also involved in this process. According to Jung, the animus represents the masculine aspect that is often suppressed in women while the anima represents the feminine aspect that is suppressed in men. The anima/animus serves as the primary source of communication with the collective unconscious. In many cultures, however, men and women are encouraged to adopt traditional and often rigid gender roles. Jung suggested that this discouragement of men exploring their feminine aspects and of women exploring their masculine aspects served to undermine psychological development. Integrating both the feminine and masculine aspects of our personality into an authentic unified whole is a healthy part of human development. A good balance would be a person who relies on both emotion and reason, intuition and logic, cooperation and competition, and so on, The combined anima and animus is known as the syzygy or the divine couple. The syzygy represents completion, unification, and wholeness. The Self The self is an archetype that represents the unified consciousness and unconsciousness of an individual. Jung often represented the self as a circle, square, or mandala. Creating the self occurs through a process known as individuation, in which the various aspects of personality are integrated. Jung believed that disharmony between the unconscious and the conscious mind could lead to psychological problems. Bringing these conflicts into awareness and accommodating them was an important part of the individuation process. Jung suggested that there were two different centers of personality: The ego makes up the center of consciousness, but it is the self that lies at the center of personality.Personality encompasses not only consciousness but also the ego and the unconscious mind. You can think of this by imagining a circle with a dot right at the center. The entire circle makes up the self, whereas the small dot in the middle represents the ego. For Jung, the ultimate aim was for an individual to achieve a sense of cohesive self, similar in many ways to Maslow's concept of self-actualization. Other Jungian Archetypes Jung suggested that the number of existing archetypes was not static or fixed. Instead, many different archetypes may overlap or combine, creating new archetypes such as the father (a stern, powerful authority figure), the hero (a champion, defender, or rescuer), and the trickster (a deceiver, liar, and troublemaker). Archetypical Figures Jung acknowledged that the four main archetypes can intermingle and give rise to 12 archetypical figures (also known as archetypical images). These include: RulerCreator/artistSageInnocentExplorerRebelHeroWizardJesterEverymanLoverCaregiver Final Thoughts Jung's ideas have not been as popular as Freud's and his archetypes have not been viewed favorably in modern psychology. This might be because it is more complex, and his work tended to veer into the mystical and pseudoscientific. It is therefore often studied more as a historical artifact in realms of literary criticism and popular culture applications of mythology than as a major contribution to the science of the mind and behavior. Other criticisms of Jung's archetypes suggest that they are overly stereotyped, reductionistic, and culturally biased. Frequently Asked Questions What are Jung's 8 personality types? In addition to his theory of archetypes, Jung also introduced a theory of personality that became the basis for the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Jung's eight personality types are:Extraverted - ThinkingIntroverted - ThinkingExtraverted - FeelingIntroverted - FeelingExtraverted - SensingIntroverted - SensingExtraverted - IntuitiveIntroverted - Intuitive What is my Jungian persona? According to Jung, your persona is the social mask that you wear and present to the world. It is designed to make an impression on others, but it also serves to conceal your true self. Learning Styles Based on Jung's Theory of Personality 5 Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. APA Dictionary of Psychology. Archetype. American Psychological Association. APA Dictionary of Psychology. Collective unconscious. American Psychological Association. Jung C. The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche. 2d ed. Adler G, Hull R, eds. Princeton University Press; 1969. Stevens A. Living Archetypes: The Selected Works of Anthony Stevens. Taylor & Francis Group; 2016. American Psychological Association. APA dictionary of psychology: Anima. Additional Reading Jung CG. Four Archetypes. Routledge. Watts J, Cockcroft K, Duncan N. Developmental Psychology. UCT Press. By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Helpful Report an Error Other Submit