By Emma Wood
Dictionary Definition: very typical of a certain kind of person or thing.
Recurrent as a symbol or motif in literature, art, or mythology

 Carl Gustav Jung, a psychologist, created and used the archetypal theory for his ideologies surrounding human psyche
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Archetypal Theory was a concept that resides in humans collective unconsciousness. An innate theory about the common types of personalities or characters

Jung stated that the human psyche was made up of three components: the ego, the personal unconsciousness, and collective unconsciousness
 The Ego is the conscious mind, the personal unconscious mind contains memories and the collective unconscious contains knowledge and experiences we share as human beings

The Collective Unconscious is where the concept of Archetypes resides
Carl Jung


The Self – Represents the unconscious or conscious of an individual. This process includes various aspects of personality are integrated

The Shadow
– Consists of the life and sex instincts. It exists as the part of the unconscious mind and made up of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts and shortcomings. It is also described as the darker side representing wildness, chaos, and the “unknown”
 The Anima or the Animus – Anima is the feminine image in the male psyche and the Animus is a male image in the female psyche. They represent the true self rather than the image we present to others and serves as the primary source of communication with the collective unconscious

The Persona
– How we present ourselves to the world. Represents all of the different social masks that we wear among different groups and situations. Shields the ego from negative images.
Source : ( http://psychology.about.com/od/personalitydevelopment/tp/archetypes.htm
)

 The Father – The authority figure, the patriarch, stern or powerful
The Mother – The Matriarch, nurturing, comforting
Jay Pritchett (Modern Family)
Cameron Tucker (Modern Family)

The Child – Longing for innocence, rebirth, and salvation
The Wise Old Man – Offers guidance, knowledge, and wisdom
Brittany S. Pierce
(Glee) Albus Dumbledore (Harry
Potter)

The Hero – The Champion, or the
Saviour, brave and courageous
The Villain – The “Bad Guy”, evil and ruthless
Queen Anne Bolyen (Wolf Hall)
Olivia Pope (Scandal)

The Maiden – Innocent, desirable and pure
The Trickster – The Liar or
Troublemaker
Sansa Stark (Game of Thrones)
Alison DiLaurentis
(Pretty Little Liars)

 Does the main character in stories portray the Jung’s theory of archetypes?

In narratives, is there always a Hero (protagonist) and a Villain (antagonist)?

What does the text suggest about the Archetypal Theory?

How many archetypes reside in the narrative?

Do we all have an innate concept of archetypes?

Does the archetypal theory apply to every character in literature, mythology and films?
 Do all archetypes, in the text, have a “Persona”, the concept that Jung created stating that we all put a “mask” on for other people?
 Do all characters, in the text, have “Shadow”? Do all the archetypes have a dark side?

What happens to the archetypes in the narrative?