The 4 Major Jungian Archetypes

Carl Jung rejected the theory of ‘tabula rasa’ which asserts that the human mind is completely blank at birth, ready to be programmed with life experiences and education. The human mind retains its fundamental biological aspects, the primordial images that provide a basic foundation for the individual.

Apart from the four main archetypes, Carl Jung also describes many other such identities like the father, the mother, the hero, the trickster or the child.

The persona is a kind of behavioural mask. It is the way we present ourselves in social groups and situations. Right from our childhood, we are taught to behave in a certain way to fit the expectations and norms of society. It suppresses all our primitive urges, impulses and feelings that are not acceptable in society.

People who start to believe in their own persona tend to move away from their true selves.

The shadow is part of the unconscious mind, made up of our repressed ideas, desires, weaknesses, shortcomings and instincts. In our attempt to portray a certain persona, we create this shadow, our cache of envy, greed, prejudice, hate and violence.

It is a darker side of our psyche that appears in dreams as a snake, a demon, or some other dark and wild creature.

The Anima (female) or the Animus (male) are the sex and gender identities/roles that behave like Yin-Yang. The male and female energies are a balance influencing one another at all times. The Animus represents the male aspect in females, while the Anima is the female aspect in males. Society enforces strict gender stereotypes, which constrains normal psychological development.

The combined energy is called ‘syzygy’ or the divine couple, representing completion, unification and oneness.

• The Self is a circle, or ‘zero’, which represents the unified unconsciousness and consciousness of an individual.
• Individuation is a process in which all aspects of our personality are integrated and in harmony.
• The ego is the center of consciousness, but the self is at the center of our personality. An ego is false most of the time, but a self is always authentic and real.
• Our personality is not just our consciousness, but also our ego and our unconsciousness.
• If the circumference of a circle is our self, the ego is just the dot at the center.