The idea of an archetype ( / ˈ ɑːr k ɪ t aɪ p / AR -ki-type ) is found in subjects such as behavior, historical psychology, philosophy, and literary analysis.

An archetype can be described as one of the following:

Archetypes are similar to instincts because, before people are even aware of their thoughts, they have traits that are naturally passed down through generations. These traits help shape how people act and feel. Even after people begin to think and make decisions on their own, these traits still affect their emotions and actions.

Etymology

The word "archetype" means "original pattern from which copies are made." It first appeared in English in the 1540s. The word comes from the Latin noun "archetypum," which is based on the Greek noun "archétypon." The Greek word "archétypon" is made up of two parts: "arché," meaning "beginning" or "origin," and "týpos," meaning "pattern," "model," or "type." The adjective form of "archétypon" is "archétypos," which means "first-molded." This shows that "archetype" refers to the starting point or origin of a pattern, model, or type.

Archetypes in literature

Using archetypes in writing is a comprehensive method that can help stories be more widely accepted. This happens because readers can connect with characters and situations in ways that reflect their own social and cultural experiences. When writers use common archetypes in their stories, they help make the story feel more real. Many literary experts say that archetypes are standard and repeated forms found in human cultures or across all humans, and they help build the structure of a story.

Christopher Booker, the author of The Seven Basic Plots: Why We Tell Stories, explains that certain basic archetypes form the foundation of all stories. These themes match the character types described by Carl Jung.

Archetypal literary criticism suggests that archetypes influence how stories are structured and what they mean. These archetypes are based on shared cultural and psychological myths. Cultural archetypes are basic forms that appear in stories through repeated images, symbols, or patterns, such as the "quest" or "heavenly ascent." They also include recognizable character types, like the "trickster," "saint," "martyr," or "hero," and symbols like the apple or the snake. These elements already carry meaning before they appear in a story.

Archetypes show roles that are common across different societies, such as the role of a mother in her relationship with family members. These archetypes create shared images that are shaped by traditional, biological, religious, and mythical ideas.

Jungian archetypes

The idea of psychological archetypes was introduced by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung around 1919. Jung explained that his understanding of archetypes was influenced by Plato’s Theory of Forms, which he described as “the meaning of a basic image that is shown through symbols.” Jung said the word “archetype” is a way to explain Plato’s term eidos, which also refers to a form or model. He believed that in Plato’s view, real things are copies of these ideal models. However, Plato’s writings do not clearly show archetypes in the way Jung described them.

In Jung’s system of psychology, archetypes are natural, shared patterns that exist in everyone’s mind. These patterns help explain universal ideas and sensory experiences. A group of memories and meanings linked to an archetype is called a complex (for example, a mother complex connected to the mother archetype). Jung compared archetypes to psychological organs, similar to physical ones, because both are structures that developed over time through evolution. Some people also believe that evolution itself can be seen as an archetypal process.

Jung wrote in Man and His Symbols that his ideas about “archaic remnants,” which he called archetypes or primordial images, have been misunderstood. He said the term “archetype” is often confused with specific mythological images or themes. However, these images are not inherited directly. Instead, an archetype is a tendency to create such images, which can change in detail but keep a basic pattern.

Jung identified several archetypes, though many models have been created based on his work. The four most well-known archetypes from his writings are the anima/animus, the self, the shadow, and the persona. He also mentioned other common archetypes, such as the wise old man, the child, the mother, and the maiden. Jung believed that every person’s mind holds these basic, unconscious understandings of human life and shared knowledge from all humans, stored in the collective unconscious.

Other authors, like Carol Pearson and Margaret Mark, have listed 12 archetypes linked to Jung, grouped into three categories based on a main driving force. Other writers, such as Margaret Hartwell and Joshua Chen, have further divided these 12 archetypes into five groups each. These groups are as follows:

Other uses of archetypes

Archetypes can appear in many different ways because each has several forms, and each form has unique characteristics. For example, the role of an archetype depends on the situation and is explained through the idea of its main purpose. This purpose relates to how an organism reacts to challenges in the biological world through specific traits.

In the 1900s, a psychologist from Vienna named Dr. Ernest Dichter used ideas from psychology and applied them to marketing. Dichter moved to New York around 1939 and sent letters to all advertising agencies on Madison Avenue, sharing his new idea. He discovered that using these common themes in marketing helped people find products more easily and created stronger loyalty to brands.