Archetypes are everywhere.
They guide, inspire, possess, rule, and live through us each day.
Archetypes influence most (if not all) of human behavior.
It’s not a question of whether archetypes influence your behavior; it’s a matter of degrees.
To the extent that you’re aware of the archetypes operating within you, it is an indicator of your level of consciousness.
With greater self-awareness, you can learn to navigate the emotional landscape of archetypes skillfully.
Here, we’ll explore a comprehensive list of archetypes so you can get to know your psyche.
What is an Archetype?
Simply put, an archetype is a set pattern of behavior.
Plato referred to archetypes as Forms, which he saw as pre-existing ideal templates or blueprints.
Archetypes are what Carl Jung referred to as “primordial images” and the “fundamental units of the human mind.”
Every character you see on television and in films represents an archetype.
Virtually every response you give to your environment—the way you behave—is an expression of an archetype, too.
Almost all human behavior is guided by archetypes.
Jung wrote in The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche,1C.G. Jung, The Structure and Dynamics of the Psyche (Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Volume 8), 1970.
“Archetypes are the living system of reactions and aptitudes that determine the individual’s life in invisible ways.”
A Few Common Examples of Archetypes
For a quick example of archetypes, consider any epic adventure story, often referred to as the Hero’s Journey.
You have ubiquitous characters like:
- The hero (protagonist),
- The villain (antagonist),
- The wise old man (mentor or sage),
- The princess (anima)
- Allies (friends)
- Magical animal (guide)
All of these characters represent common examples of archetypes. You’ll find the same character archetypes in mythologies and fairytales worldwide.
These archetypal motifs are part of our collective unconscious. That is, they are universal.
How to Create a List of Archetypes
The general belief about archetypes is that there are only a select few.
For example, a list of archetypes might have only 4, 6, or 12. Or, perhaps you’ll have a list of 52 or 80.
The reality is that there are thousands of archetypes. Each one possesses different behavioral patterns and subtleties.
However, a list of archetypes numbering in the thousands won’t be practical.
There’s no need to try to memorize any of these archetype lists. As Jung explains:2C.G. Jung, The Collected Works, Vol. 9, I, The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious, 1969, Para 62.
It is no use at all to learn a list of archetypes by heart. Archetypes are complexes of experiences that come upon us like fate, and their effects are felt in our most personal life.
So first, we’ll run through a few archetype lists from popular models. Then, I’ll present a comprehensive list of archetypes for you to review.
Jungian Archetypes List
It seems appropriate to start our journey with the man who popularized the concept of archetypes.
Perhaps more than anyone else, Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung provided us with a map of the human psyche.
Through his analytical psychology, Jung classified many of the driving forces that dominate human behavior. (See my beginner’s guide to Jung’s individuation process here.)
To Jung, archetypes weren’t just characters or subpersonalities. They also included motifs, symbols, and images. For example, birth, marriage, and death are symbolic archetypes that Jung discussed.
I’ve noticed various lists of “Jungian archetypes” on the internet. Somehow, many writers seem to think that Jung had “12 archetypes.” This is NOT accurate. To my knowledge, Jung never created a list of archetypes, and as stated above, he didn’t encourage doing so.
That said, here are the primary archetype examples Jung addresses throughout Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious (1959):
| The Self | The Mother |
| The Anima | The Child |
| The Animus | The Wise Old Man |
| The Shadow | The Hero |
| The Persona | The Trickster |
| The Father | The Maiden |
Jung referenced many other archetypes in his work, but the list above highlights the primary ones.
Get a closer look at 15 classic Jungian Archetypes here.
List of 4 Masculine Archetypes
Another model for understanding archetypes comes from neo-Jungian Robert Moore.
I reference Moore’s model frequently on this website because I find it incredibly practical and accurate.
In King Warrior Magician Lover (1991), Moore and Gillette highlight the four primary archetypes in the masculine psyche, as well as the eight bipolar shadow archetypes that accompany them.
The four healthy masculine archetypes are:
- King
- Warrior
- Magician
- Lover
The eight shadow archetypes are:
| The Tyrant | The Weakling |
| The Sadist | The Masochist |
| The Detached Manipulator | The Denying “Innocent” One |
| The Addicted Lover | The Impotent Lover |
Robert Moore’s Structure of the Psyche
The four healthy archetypes of boyhood are:
- The Divine Child
- The Hero
- The Precocious Child
- The Oedipal Child
The eight shadow archetypes of boyhood are:
| The High Chair Tyrant | The Weakling Prince |
| The Grandstander Bully | The Coward |
| The Know-it-all Trickster | The Dummy |
| The Momma’s Boy | The Dreamer |
While Moore’s archetypal research focused on the masculine archetypes, his model extends to the feminine psyche, where the Queen represents the King.3https://robertmoore-phd.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.display&page_id=32
He does suggest, however, that other variations in the feminine psyche probably aren’t addressed in his work.
7 Feminine Archetypes List
Most of the archetypes listed here can be masculine or feminine. For example, in the feminine psyche, the Lover, the Warrior, and the Magician exist, just as they do in the masculine psyche.
However, there are numerous analyses specifically focused on feminine archetypes. One such work comes from Jungian Jean Shinoda Bolen, who highlights seven female archetypes in Goddesses in Everywoman (1984).
These 7 female archetypes, based on her analysis of the Greek goddesses, are:
- The Mother
- The Queen
- The Lover
- The Maiden
- The Huntress
- The Wise Woman
- The Mystic
But again, this is just one example of feminine archetypes. Clarissa Pinkola Estés featured the Wild Woman archetype in Women Who Run With Wolves (1992). Jungian Nancy Qualls-Corbett wrote a dedicated treatment on The Sacred Prostitute (1988). There are countless others.
12 Personality Archetypes List (Pearson)
The “12 Archetypes” is a popular personality model from Carol Pearson’s Awakening the Heroes Within (1991). Her 12-archetypes model—the PMAI instrument—was later popularized in books like The Hero and the Outlaw by Margaret Mark and Carol Pearson.
Most likely, the confusion regarding “12 Jungian archetypes” comes from this source.
To clarify, while Pearson’s work is based on Jung’s insights, these 12 personality archetypes are not explicitly identified in Jung’s work.
The 12 personality archetypes in Pearson’s model are:
| The Innocent | The Lover |
| The Orphan | The Creator |
| The Hero | The Jester |
| The Caregiver | The Sage |
| The Explorer | The Magician |
| The Outlaw | The Ruler |
These 12 are also referred to as brand archetypes.
Enneagram Personality Archetypes
Every personality system represents a collection of archetypes. In my opinion, the most robust personality model is the Enneagram.
Within the Enneagram community, there are two versions of the model. While they are both similar, they use different names to characterize the archetypes.
One model developed by Don Riso and Russ Hudson outlines the nine personality types (or archetypes) of the Enneagram as follows:
Personality Archetypes from The Enneagram Institute
Type 1: Reformer
Type 2: Helper
Type 3: Achiever
Type 4: Individualist
Type 5: Investigator
Type 6: Loyalist
Type 7: Enthusiast
Type 8: Challenger
Type 9: Peacemaker
The other model used by Enneagram Worldwide and highlighted by Helen Palmer in The Enneagram describes the personality archetypes as:
Personality Archetypes from Enneagram Worldwide
Type 1: The Perfectionist
Type 2: The Giver
Type 3: The Performer
Type 4: The Romantic
Type 5: The Observer
Type 6: The Loyal Skeptic
Type 7: The Epicure
Type 8: The Protector
Type 9: The Mediator
Riso and Hudson’s Enneagram model also includes nine variations or levels of each personality type. If we add each level as an archetype, the Enneagram contains a list of 81 archetypes. Plus, each type has “wings” and “variants,” which easily quadruples the number of potential archetypes.
Myss’s Archetype Cards
Now, we come to Caroline Myss’ Archetype Cards (2003), an illustrated deck of 80 archetypes.
Myss’ archetypes list includes:
| Addict | Liberator |
| Advocate | Lover |
| Alchemist | Martyr |
| Angel | Mediator |
| Artist | Mentor |
| Athlete | Messiah |
| Avenger | Midas/Miser |
| Beggar | Monk |
| Bully | Mother |
| Child: Orphan | Mystic |
| Child: Wounded | Networker |
| Child: Magical | Nun |
| Child: Nature | Pioneer |
| Child: Eternal Boy/Girl | Poet |
| Child: Divine | Priest |
| Clown | Prince |
| Companion | Prostitute |
| Damsel | Queen |
| Destroyer | Rebel |
| Detective | Rescuer |
| Dilettante | Saboteur |
| Don Juan | Samaritan |
| Engineer | Scribe |
| Exorcist | Seeker |
| Father | Servant |
| Femme Fatale | Shape-shifter |
| Gambler | Slave |
| God | Storyteller |
| Goddess | Student |
| Guide | Teacher |
| Healer | Thief |
| Wounded Healer | Trickster |
| Hedonist | Vampire |
| Hero/Heroine | Victim |
| Judge | Virgin |
| King | Visionary |
| Knight | Warrior |
Tarot Cards
Jung and the Jungians devote considerable attention to divination systems, such as Tarot, the I Ching, and astrology.
For Jung, these systems provide another means of access to the unconscious.
All of the 78 Tarot cards and the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching represent archetypes. Jung seemed to have a particular fascination with Tarot, largely because it was considered “taboo.”
For our purposes here, we’ll highlight the Major Arcana tarot cards:
| The Fool | The Magician |
| The High Priestess | The Empress |
| The Emperor | The Hierophant |
| The Lovers | The Chariot |
| Strength | The Hermit |
| Wheel of Fortune | Justice |
| The Hanged Man | Death |
| Temperance | The Devil |
| The Tower | The Star |
| The Moon | The Sun |
| Judgment | The World |
The Zodiac Signs
As mentioned above, all of the common divination systems represent archetypal forms.
Astrology and the twelve signs of the Zodiac represent perhaps the oldest list of archetype examples.
| Aries | Libra |
| Taurus | Scorpio |
| Gemini | Sagittarius |
| Cancer | Capricorn |
| Leo | Aquarius |
| Virgo | Pisces |
The Greek Gods of Olympus
One of the original archetypes lists is represented by the pantheon of gods and goddesses of Greek Mythology.
The list of Olympians includes:
| Zeus | Hermes |
| Hera | Dionysius |
| Poseidon | Hades |
| Demeter | Hypnos |
| Ares | Nike |
| Athena | Janus |
| Apollo | Nemesis |
| Artemis | Iris |
| Hephaestus | Hecate |
| Aphrodite | Tyche |
A Comprehensive List of Archetypes
Finally, we arrive at the ultimate archetypes list.
Now that you have a better sense of different archetype examples from above, let’s take a look at a more complete list of archetypes:
| Archetypes A – G | Archetypes G – P | Archetypes P – Z |
|---|---|---|
| Accountant | Glutton | Priest |
| Achiever | Go-Between | Priestess |
| Addict | God | Prince |
| Addicted Lover | Goddess | Princess |
| Adonis | Godfather | Private Investigator |
| Adventurer | Gourmand | Profane Prostitute |
| Advocate | Gourmet | Progenitor |
| Alchemist | Grandstander Bully | Prophet |
| Amateur | Guide | Prostitute |
| Ambassador | Gunslinger | Protector |
| Analyst | Guru | Protester |
| Anarchist | Healer | Provocateur |
| Anchorite | Hedonist | Psychopath |
| Angel | Helper | Queen |
| Anima | Herald | Rabbi |
| Animus | Hermit | Rebel |
| Apprentice | Hero | Redeemer |
| Arbitrator | Heroine | Reformer |
| Architect | High Chair Tyrant | Renunciate |
| Artisan | Ice Queen | Rescuer |
| Artist | Idiot | Revolutionary |
| Athlete | Impotent Lover | Right Arm |
| Attila | Indentured Servant | Robin Hood |
| Attorney | Indigent | Romantic |
| Author | Individualist | Ruler |
| Avenger | Innocent Child | Saboteur |
| Beggar | Innocent One | Sacred Prostitute |
| Black Widow | Innovator | Sadist |
| Bon Vivant | Instructor | Sage |
| Boss | Intellectual | Samaritan |
| Builder | Intuitive Healer | Samurai |
| Bully | Inventor | Savior |
| Burglar | Jester | Scapegoat |
| Caregiver | Journalist | Scavenger |
| Casanova | Judge | Schemer |
| Celibate | Killer | Scientist |
| Challenger | King | Scribe |
| Champion | Knight | Sculptor |
| Chef | Leader | Secretary |
| Chief | Legislator | Seducer |
| Child | Liberator | Seductress |
| Clown | Lobbyist | Seeker |
| Communicator | Loner | Seer |
| Companion | Loser | Serial Killer |
| Con Artist | Lover | Serpent |
| Consort | Loyalist | Servant |
| Consumer | Mad Scientist | Settler |
| Copyist | Magical Child | Sex Addict |
| Counselor | Magician | Shadow |
| Courier | Maiden | Shaman |
| Court Jester | Martyr | Shape-shifter |
| Coward | Masochist | Sherlock Holmes |
| Craftsperson | Master | Sidekick |
| Creator | Matriarch | Siren |
| Crime Fighter | Mediator | Skeptic |
| Critic | Meditator | Slave |
| Crone | Mentor | Sleuth |
| Damsel | Mercenary | Snoop |
| Dark Lord | Messenger | Sociopath |
| Defender | Messiah | Soldier |
| Derelict | Midas | Soldier of Fortune |
| Destroyer | Minister | Spell-caster |
| Detached Manipulator | Minstrel | Spiritual Master |
| Detective | Miser | Spoiler |
| Devotee | Momma’s Boy | Spy |
| Devouring Mother | Monk | Stepmother |
| Dilettante | Monster | Storyteller |
| Diplomat | Mother | Student |
| Disciple | Mother Nature | Succubus |
| Divine Child | Muse | Swindler |
| Don Juan | Mystic | Sybarite |
| Double Agent | Narrator | Teacher |
| Dreamer | Nerd | Temptress |
| Drunk | Networker | The Self |
| Dummy | Ninja | Therapist |
| Earth Mother | Nomad | Thief |
| Emperor | Nonconformist | Tomboy |
| Empress | Novice | Trickster |
| Enchantress | Nun | Tyrant |
| Engineer | Nurse | Tutor |
| Enthusiast | Observer | Vagabond |
| Entertainer | Oedipal Child | Vampire |
| Environmentalist | Olympian | Victim |
| Epicure | Orphan | Villain |
| Escort | Orphan Child | Virgin |
| Eternal Child | Outcast | Visionary |
| Evangelist | Outlaw | Wanderer |
| Everyman | Patriarch | Warrior |
| Examiner | Peacemaker | Weakling |
| Exorcist | Perfect Mother | Weakling Prince |
| Explorer | Perfectionist | Weaver |
| Fairy Godmother | Performer | Werewolf |
| Father | Persona | Wise Old Man |
| Femme Fatale | Philosopher | Wise Woman |
| Flirt | Pickpocket | Witch |
| Follower | Pilgrim | Wizard |
| Fool | Pioneer | Workaholic |
| Friend | Pirate | Working Mother |
| Gambler | Poet | Wounded Child |
| Gigolo | Preacher | Wounded Healer |
| Giver | Precocious Child | Zombie |
Where to go from here?
As you can see, our psyche is filled with a pantheon of characters and archetypal energy vying for our attention.
It’s no wonder humans are such complex creatures.
Want to begin making sense of it all?
Start with these guides:
The Psychology of Archetypes: Everything You Need to Know
This was so helpful. Great comprehensive list on this subject. Would you look at the astrological signs and planets as well?
Most definitely. Bella. The 12 Zodiac signs are arguably the original list of archetypes. Thanks for your comments.
Marvelous compilation of archetypes! Thankyou so very much!! Susan W.
You’re most welcome, Susan. Thank you.
This is such helpful work!! Brilliant! Thank you <3
– K.P. Freed
I appreciate the feedback, K.P.
Quote’ ” Archetypes are what Carl Jung called “primordial images” and the “fundamental units of the human mind.”
“Primordial images” Is a beautiful word, I may going be heavy here, saying anything that pops up in my mind, but after half a bottle of wine my inhibitions fade a bit. Losing my fears in a little room in front of the pc, not as if I walked out of the unit to face reality. My defenses and rigidly would raise and fears increase. After all I’m tapping a keyboard to someone half round the world with probaly a few uninterested readers of my post. What could go wrong.
Primordial images, I think may be inflicted upon humans, by how, what and whom I don’t know. Only it is an essential component for us to feel of “our own existence”. To give us something to work on to evolve. This brings me to think physicality is a minor point, so the unseen of what we don’t know is major to who we are. Thank-you.
I hope you havn’t found this post offensive. This gave me a chance to notice the unconciuos coming out. After reflecting, I’m seeing spontaneanty, free, calmness, undesirable and offensive.
I’m considering this to be an indication of character/personality, hidden behind the persona. I am also under the impression this is my anima. Why I think that is from the description used with the keyboard.
You or your readers would not find my statements as provocative as I do while writing it. Could you make some clarity for me. Thank-you.
I don’t know what specifically you’re looking for clarity. It sounds like you were just processing your thoughts, but for some reason, doing so in the public comment section of this page.
I have had half a bottle of wine, and when I do this I feel insightful. I do know the dangers of falling into alcoholism, but I feel secure in that I only do this once a week. I would like to know if there is a supplement or vitamin that will act the same way as alcohol does, preferable without the negative side-effects and forgetfulness.
In my defense, which brings me to a point that I have never previously considered it relevant in day to day living. But it does seem to be a common component of most people.
I’m babbling on with no concern to the people I’m talking to. I’m trying to find the point of why I’m writing this, but just keep laughing. Hope you don’t think I’m a troublemaker, but if you do; know that I probably deserve it.
Anyway, I enjoyed my laughter (if that was the point…). Could you tell me to stut-up and tell me to stop writing while I’m drunk? Thank-you.
Brett,
I’ve noticed that you’ve posted dozens of comments are various guides. Please be respectful of my time and that of the other readers.
If you have a genuine question related to a specific guide, be brief and concise with your question/comment.
Instead of posting comment like the one above, use a journal. It will be less narcissistic and potentially more beneficial for you.
Thank-you.
I like llamas.
That is all.
What about archetypes in opposing pairs, in relation to “ancient enemies?” For lack of an ancient reference, please think of the Coyote and the Roadrunner. For a real-life reference, think of the conflict in the Middle East – the tribes of the Israelites vs the tribes of Palestinians. They have been at each other for at least 5000 years, over a piece of sand. Think of the Russians and the Ukrainians – a little better, arable land, but still, there’s a whole world for each to inhabit. I wish I knew where to go with this thought, but it keeps coming back to me. One of the references I read said that both parties are opposite sides of the same coin. I would like to find a source that seeks and finds rapprochement between the sides. It seems that without one, the other could not exist (How could a coin have one side as a physical object). Does that mean that conflict is an eternal state in the human experience?
Archetypes do have opposites like (Appollo and Dionysus) as well as bipolar shadow opposites as neo-Jungian Robert Moore’s work illustrates. (See, for example, the Magician archetype: https://scottjeffrey.com/magician-archetype/)
However, having extensively studied the two conflicts you presented above, this is NOT the issue of opposing archetypal forces as you described. What you’ve described is the propaganda many of us have been indoctrinated with. That is, these conflicts are socially engineered. (Breaking down why this is the case would take too long here.) The cause of these so-called conflicts is singular: the detached manipulator working behind the scenes.
“It seems that without one, the other could not exist (How could a coin have one side as a physical object). Does that mean that conflict is an eternal state in the human experience?”
No. It means that conflict and tension are an eternal state of *archetypes* — NOT the human experience. The entire point of individuation is to strip away these archetypal forces and the tensions that arise from them. Only then, can individuals transcend conflict. Building consciousness is the pathway beyond conflict. Without this process, one remains possessed by archetypal forces. (“Easy to be an archetype; difficult to be a human.”)
I am probably your most cut and dry archetype and I have a story weather you believe it or not God spoke to me and gave me a specific set of rules guidelines among other things. My archetype is I understand the story I have is very valuable and this is all that I’m willing to say as sometimes I already feel like a Marked Man if you’ve ever had anybody that has ever said any of these things to you and one of their archetypes and you would like to know more we need to talk more personally Scott sincerely Jeffrey
At a young age for lack of better words I was hidden with my brother basically Roman Catholic convent school mixture middle of nowhere surrounded by 500 Amish families not Mennonite I got shot in this place the first time the the light touch me what you got time I refer to it as God’s grace Legions of angels are helping me transcend if that makes sense
It’s important to keep in mind that no one is an archetype. There is a pantheon of archetypal images within the collective psyche. Many more archetypal images exist that are not listed above.
But ultimately, a human is not an archetype. And when we identify with a particular archetypal pattern, it’s usually a sign that we’ve become “possessed” by it. As such, it’s important to center and ground yourself.
If you feel like you need to be guided by external forces, that’s a personal choice.
I never feel like I need to be guided I feel like I wish I had someone with as much knowledge about things like protecting the Innocence around me or having the power or having the ability to work hand in hand with the Holy Spirit possibly our Lord Almighty himself finding the names of these and sending them to their Eternal hole where they should stay have never even hardly maybe one time in my life I heard somebody in prayer or in talking about God ever joke around with him talk about it sense of humor go back and forth with him I’ve never seen anyone or heard anyone hardly ever and he he loves that just like everybody else does he have people are always so serious they always want something or they have to they’re asking a serious question you can ask a serious question and mix it up with and I said clean friendly joke while you’re praying while you’re talking about him with someone else he loves that people don’t know this I know this. Would you like to see these angels these Legions of angels he sends two or three times a week sometimes every night of the week depending on how much studying I’m doing in that depends on how much my brain can handle before I get too bad of a headache because information flows like a highway like you were saying the collective I know exactly what you’re saying if you would like though recently have been taking pictures just on a regular Samsung a 03 cheap camera from 50 ft away as their summer you will just have to see them but once you see them if you know the different types of angels the orders the ones that were the guardian if you know about them you will recognize them you you will see four orders divine Legion of angels in mid is the most Heavenly picture you can ever imagine like something William Shakespeare across somebody with paint beautifully but they would have to have seen this themselves to see it like the pictures that I have. Please forgive me I’m not asking you to guide me I’m asking Maybe for a safe person that I trust to go back and forth with no one I have came across I don’t I don’t even have to ask I they will mention something you know have you started your Awakening whatever the term they may use I will be able to tell instantly where they’re at with it or even if they did transcend into any thing that I have yet to speak with anybody that has any knowledge not even a third of the knowledge of the things I have been told by God himself he’s only spoke to me one time but he puts images and communicate with me through nature so so many with other times and ways I will tell you that his voice was the most beautiful thing that I’ve ever heard in my life and I don’t see how anybody I don’t think it’s possible to hear it without trying or just because of how beautiful his voice is not what he’s saying is I better stop there like I said I don’t want anybody around me to get hurt maybe where I’m at right now is where I need to be at this point I’m going to pray to him about you I think he’s already gave me an answer I think that’s why you are contacting me back I believe the way the angel said I threw a rock picture fish bowl and ripples that it caused was not expected by the heavenly father by the Angels but clearly they are happy with what transpired and they warned as always to watch what I say
Please use correct syntax and sentence structure if you want me to read and reply to your message. Also please be as concise as possible.
Thank you for this. This was incredibly helpful, I’ve been writing an essay arguing why Achilles is the hero Archetype of the Iliad, and this helped me a lot. Thank you for your incite and summary of Archetypes!!
Great to hear, Colby!
Extraordinary work and very well presented!!
Just a quick question- Do you know of any work or study that has been done on isolating our relationship with these archetypes.
The idea here is that our relationship with the archetype is an entity separate from the archetype itself. The relationship adheres us to the archetype in a specific way possibly even misusing an archetype for a purpose for which it was not designed.
If, for example, we have a relationship of dependence on an archetype is it clarified that our dependence is generating a state of consciousness in which we are believing in the archetype more than we believe in our-self.
This dependence allows the archetype to choose for us influencing our choices and making us followers of an identity code rather than creators of possibilities that are independent of archetypal influence.
Thanks for any reply you might have!!
Hi Larry,
I’m not entirely certain I understand what you’re asking.
The general idea is that when the Center (Self) is not stabilized, we are “possessed” by various archetypal forms. Without access to the Self, we either identify with a particular archetype as one’s personality or a blending of subpersonalities.
So, it wouldn’t be so much that we have a dependence on a particular archetype but rather that we mistakenly identify with a particular archetypal pattern.
That said, see Robert Moore’s neo-Jungian model for more context:
https://scottjeffrey.com/king-warrior-magician-lover-masculine-archetypes/
That is very helpful !!
Thanks for your response !!
I was thinking that the dependence aspect may surround the idea is that while mistakenly identifying with an archetype that is possessing me I may come to believe that the archetypal character does me better than I do me.
Which is to say that I believe in the archetype more than I believe in the self that is independent of the archetypal character.
In this way I may depend on the archetype to define me rather than doing my own self-discovery and self-worth work.
Ah, yes, I understand what you mean now. In fact, if you look at much of the new-age type material (especially online), you might assume that we’re supposed to do what you’re describing.
The misaligned concept of “What archetype am I?” is one such illustration.
I believe “Ego and Archetype” by Edward F. Edinger might be of interest to you.
But the main issue is that most of us do not access the Self. Instead, our self-identity is centered around the ego-mind, and this ego-mind comes with a “house of guests” (archetypes) based on our prior conditioning.
As the traditions explain, in holding to the neutral Center, the Self (host) returns and establishes order in the house (with all of its previously unruly guests).
This response was awesome !!
Much appreciated!!
Beautifully said!!