The original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first
form; prototype. An archetype is a generic, idealized model of a person, object,
or concept from which similar instances are derived, copied, patterned, or emulated. In psychology, an archetype is a model of a person, personality, or behavior. This article is about
personality archetypes, as described in literature
analysis and the study of the psyche.
In the analysis of personality, the term archetype is often broadly used to refer to
- a stereotype—personality type observed multiple times, especially an oversimplification of such a type; or
- an epitome—personality type exemplified, especially the "greatest" such example.
- a literary term to express details.
However, in a strict linguistic sense, an archetype is merely a defining example of a personality type. The accepted
use of archetype is to refer to a generic version of a personality. In this sense "mother figure" can be considered an archetype
and instances can be found in various female characters with distinct (non-generic) personalities.
Archetypes have been present in mythology and literature for hundreds of years. The use of
archetypes to analyze personality was advanced by Carl Jung early in the 20th century. The value in using archetypal characters in fiction derives
from the fact that a large group of people are able to unconsciously recognize the archetype, and thus the motivations, behind
the character's behavior.
Etymology
The word archetype appeared in European texts as early as 1545.[1] It derives from the Latin noun archetypum via the Greek noun arkhetypon and
adjective arkhetypos, meaning "first-moulded". The Greek roots are arkhe- ("first" or "original") + typos
("model", "type", "blow", "mark of a blow").
Pronunciation note: The "ch" in archetype is a transliteration of the Greek chi
(χ) and is most commonly articulated in English as a "k".[2]
Jungian archetypes
-
The concept of psychological archetypes was advanced by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung,
c. 1919. In Jung's psychological framework archetypes are innate, universal prototypes for
ideas and may be used to interpret observations. A group of memories and interpretations associated with an archetype is a
complex, e.g. a mother complex associated with the mother archetype. Jung treated
the archetypes as psychological organs, analogous to physical ones in that both are morphological constructs that arose through
evolution. [3]
Jung outlined four main archetypes:
- The Self, the regulating center of the psyche and facilitator of individuation
- The Shadow, the opposite of the ego image, often containing qualities that the
ego does not identify with but possess nonetheless
- The Anima, the feminine image in a man's psyche
- The Animus, the masculine image in a woman's psyche
Although the number of archetypes is limitless, there are a few particularly notable, recurring archetypal images:
Archetypes in literature
Archetypes often appear in many forms of literature. Many archetypes in literature have
their roots in mythology. A model for Neo, the
nearly godlike hero of The Matrix, can be found in the Ancient
Sumerian character, Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh's friend, Enkidu, is the archetypal sidekick character (powerful but uncivilized), which is paralleled by Robin Hood's Little John, Sundance from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance
Kid, and Chewbacca in Star
Wars. This is not to imply that the film directors borrowed directly from an Ancient Sumerian epic poem, but, rather, these archetypes are perpetuated as a typecasting, repeated again and again as
characters in a story. Indeed, these remain part of our cultural memory and may be rooted in a collective unconscious, as Jung described it.
William Shakespeare is known for popularizing many archetypal characters that
hold great social import such as Hamlet, the self-doubting hero and the initiation archetype with
the three stages of separation, transformation, and return; Falstaff, the bawdy, rotund comic
knight; Romeo and Juliet, the
ill-fated ("star-crossed") lovers; Richard II, the hero who dies with honor; and many
others. Although Shakespeare based many of his characters on existing archetypes from fables and
myths (e.g., Romeo and Juliet on Pyramus and
Thisbe), Shakespeare's characters stand out as original by their contrast against a complex, social literary landscape.
For instance, in The Tempest, Shakespeare borrowed from a manuscript by William
Strachey that detailed an actual shipwreck of the Virginia-bound 17th-century English sailing
vessel Sea Venture in 1609 on the islands of Bermuda. Shakespeare also borrowed
heavily from a speech by Medea in Ovid's Metamorphoses in
writing Prospero's renunciative speech; nevertheless, the unique combination of these elements
in the character of Prospero created a new archetype, that of the sage magician as a carefully plotting hero, quite distinct from
the wizard-as-advisor archetype of Merlin or Gandalf (both of
which may be derived from priesthood authority archetypes from the Bible such as Noah,
Abraham, Moses, Isaiah,
Elijah, etc).
Certain common methods of character depiction employed in dramatic performance rely on the pre-existence of literary
archetypes. Stock characters used in theatre or film are based on highly generic
literary archetypes. A pastiche is an imitation of an archetype or prototype in order to pay
homage to the original creator.
References
- Jung, C. G., (1934–1954). The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious. (1981 2nd ed. Collected Works Vol.9 Part 1),
Princeton, N.J.: Bollingen. ISBN 0-691-01833-2
- Arrien, Angeles (1992). Signs Of Life: The Five Universal Shapes And How To Use Them.
Sonoma, CA, USA: Arcus Publishing Company. ISBN 0-916955-10-9
- Pearson, Carol (1989). The hero within: six archetypes we live by. San
Francisco: Harper & Row. ISBN 0-06-254862-x.
Notes
See also
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