List and briefly describe Carl Jung's most important archetypes.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

A. The persona is the side of personality that we show to the outside world. It is the role we adopt in society.

B. The shadow is the archetype of darkness and repression and represents the evil side of our personality. Rather than hiding their shadow, self-realized people become acquainted with it and thus learn to control their dark side. Carl Jung believed that the realization of the shadow is our first test of courage on the road to self-realization.

C. The anima is the feminine side of men. Psychologically healthy men recognize their feminine disposition, become comfortable with it, and do not project it onto the women in their lives. The anima influences the feeling side in men.

D. The animus is a woman's masculine side, and it influences her thinking and reasoning. Carl Jung believed that the animus is also responsible for some women's irrational moods and unfounded opinions.

E. The great mother is the archetype of both nourishment and destruction. It represents our ancestors' collective experiences with a mother who was capable of either nurturing or destroying them. Today, gardens, plowed fields, a grandmother, Mother Nature, or a witch symbolizes the great mother archetype.

F. The wise old man is the archetype of wisdom and meaning, but his wisdom and meaning is superficial and deceptive. A father, grandfather, teacher, rabbi, or priest symbolizes the wise old man archetype.

G. The hero archetype is represented as a powerful man, and it is represented sometimes as part god. However, the hero has a tragic flaw, or weakness. Without such a weakness, no one could be heroic; that is, one must be vulnerable to be a hero. In legends and fairy tales, a strong person who conquers a villain using great personal courage represents the hero archetype. The hero is also symbolic of ancient humanity conquering darkness and achieving consciousness.

H. The self is an all-inclusive archetype that includes all aspects of personality, both conscious and unconscious. The self is manifested by our quest for perfection, completion, and self-realization. It is symbolized by the mandala, or a perfect geometric figure.