A character archetype is a recurring stock character that represents something universal in our human experience. They’re immediately recognizable within novels, films, and other narrative media as fitting a predetermined pattern, even if certain details like names and physical attributes change. Writers can use these familiar patterns to engage with readers in a comfortable and relatable way. Archetypes create an immediate sense of familiarity, even in an unfamiliar story, because they’re people that we’ve met time and time again.

What Are Character Archetypes?

In literature you’ll hear about two different kinds of archetypes: character archetypes and story archetypes. Both of these literary devices represent universal patterns that we can recognize in almost all stories across cultures throughout history. The difference is that while character archetypes refer to the individual people that populate the world of your story—such as heroes, villains, mentors, and others that we’ll look at further below—<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-are-story-archetypes">story archetypes refer to the patterns of events and themes </a>that drive the story towards its conclusion.

Character Vs Story

Character archetypes and stereotypes share a lot of similarities, but the main difference is that character archetypes represent inherent truths in human nature, while stereotypes represent a pattern of (usually negative) traits that have become attributed to a particular gender, culture, or type of person. Stereotypes are often born from one small true thing which then grows into a vast generalization. These generalizations are flat, uninteresting, and contain nothing of the beautiful complexity that human beings have as individuals.

Archetypes Vs Stereotypes

Unlike stereotypes, which are extremely limited in their scope, character archetypes offer you a base structure from which you can begin building the people of your story world. Here are the 16 classic archetypes that you can use in your writing.

Character Archetypes

<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-hero-archetype">The Hero is the axis on which a story revolves. </a>They’re usually thrown into extraordinary circumstances beyond their control through which they need to fight for a singular objective. Along the way the hero’s strength will be tested in a number of ways—maybe physically, mentally, spiritually, and/or morally. These trials will reveal exceptional strengths that set them apart from other characters in the story. These might be things like supernatural powers or a momentous birthright, or it might be something simple that comes from their humanity.

1. The Hero

<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-shadow-archetype">The Shadow is a dark reflection of the hero. </a>They might show us weaknesses in the hero that they fight to keep hidden, or what the hero could become if they allowed those weaknesses to consume them. In many ways, we all have this “shadow personality” but in literature the shadow will either be a person mirroring the hero’s darkest traits and their darkest potential, or a very distinctive facet of the hero—for example, if they change their personality completely while under the influence of drugs, manipulation, or some external force.

2. The Shadow

<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-sidekick-archetype">Sidekicks </a>have been popularized by the comic book medium, but the idea has existed for much longer. The sidekick’s main role is to offer the hero a way to stay grounded despite all the obstacles they’re facing. This might be through comic relief or through cautionary advice, or both. The sidekick lacks whatever fundamental value has put the hero on their path and they don’t carry the weight of the world in the same way. What they can do is offer light in the darkness when your hero begins to lose some integral piece of themselves. Your sidekick keeps the hero from getting too close to the edge

3. The Sidekick

<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-villain-archetype">The villain archetype is the big baddie of your story </a>—the challenge to which all roads lead. This character has an objective that is in <a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-an-antagonist">direct conflict with the hero’s </a>, and in order for them to reach their goal, they need to make sure that the main character is unable to reach theirs . This might be through killing them, humiliating them, discrediting them, or otherwise forcing them into submission.The villain always has a reason for doing the terrible things that they do, even if that reason is twisted beyond what we might understand in our own perceptions and values.

4. The Villain

In a story, <a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-lover-archetype">the lover archetype really just wants everyone to get along. </a>They’re usually a “good” character, in the sense of having a functioning moral compass, but they lack the courage, sense of injustice, and capacity for self-sacrifice that the hero has. Though guided by the needs of their heart, lovers tend to take the path of least resistance that brings the least amount of harm to themselves and those they care for. Many traditionally artistic characters will fall into this category.

5. The Lover

One of the most essential figures in the hero’s journey, <a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-mentor-archetype">the mentor </a>is older (sometimes), wiser (always), and has knowledge and experiences beyond that of the hero’s. They may also have supernatural powers or a particularly specialized skill set. The mentor serves to give the protagonist a little nudge (or a violent shove) forward onto their path, bringing out the potential of what that hero will become.

6. The Mentor

Made famous by the godmothers of classic fairy tales, <a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-mother-archetype">the mother archetype represents a supportive, nurturing presence in the hero’s life. </a>They won’t always be a literal mother (although they can be); they don’t even necessarily need to be female. The mother character is strong and wise, but they differ from the mentor figure in that they don’t give the hero the tools they need to move forward on their journey; rather, they give the hero a safe place to come home to, a place to heal.Depending on where the hero is on their journey, there may be more than one character filling this role.

7. The Mother

<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-everyman-archetype">The everyman character is a projection of the reader. </a>They’re an utterly normal person thrown into remarkable circumstances, and they adapt to the situation in much the same way that any one of us would. They usually say what they’re thinking and call things out that don’t make sense, and their normality might make them an outsider in a world where very un-normal things are happening. This archetype functions to bring some perspective to the story and make the plot more relatable to us as readers.

8. The Everyman

<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-damsel-archetype">The iconic damsel-in-distress is one of the most recognizable literary tropes </a>, but this character can take many forms of any age and any gender. Sometimes called the “innocent,” they represent naivety, inexperience, and trust. The damsel is similar to the everyman in that they see everything with new eyes; but unlike the everyman, the damsel never gives up the idea that there’s good in the world. They cling to their innocence even when the events around them threaten to strip it away. Unfortunately, this determined positivity can lead them into some difficult situations.

9. The Damsel

Tricksters are perhaps our <a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-trickster-archetype">most enduring character archetype </a>, even more so than heroes. Before storytellers were repeating tales of Beowulf and King Arthur, they were gathering around the fire listening to stories about Coyote, Raven, and the spider god Anansi. Tricksters are neither good nor evil, but use cunning and cleverness to further their own ends. They might help the hero or they might hinder them, depending on which best suits their own agenda at the time.The trickster has given rise to one of our <a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-an-antihero">most popular modern archetypes, the antihero </a>.

10. The Trickster

<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-threshold-guardian-archetype">The guardian archetype is someone who stands at a threshold, </a>holding the hero back from continuing on their journey. Guardians are usually quite single-minded and fixated on their goal of keeping two worlds, people, or experiences separated. Sometimes this might be someone guarding a literal doorway, such as the Sphinx of Egyptian mythology; other times it might be a new stage of life, such as an admissions officer who stands between a student and their dream school.Guardians challenge the hero to reassess their situation and look at things in a new way

11. The Guardian

<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-herald-archetype">The herald is a character that foretells a great change </a>, usually near the beginning of the story. After they’ve made their appearance, nothing will be the same for the hero again. An example of a herald can be found in the classic fairy tale Cinderella , where a messenger shows up to announce that the king is seeking a match for his son, launching the plot into action.Although the herald’s job is to set the events of the plot in motion, they may also hang around to fill another role in the story later on.

12. The Herald

In literature, <a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-scapegoat-archetype">the scapegoat archetype is someone who takes the blame for another’s misdeeds. </a>This often works a bit like a reverse guardian—their defeat clears the way for the villain to move forward towards their goal. Using a scapegoat allows your characters to unite against a common perceived enemy, thereby (temporarily) dispersing whatever tensions had been brewing. This is a useful literary device for turning the plot in a new direction

13. The Scapegoat

<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-outlaw-archetype">The outlaw’s </a>key strengths are their independence and the sense of self that keeps them from bending to societal constraints. This doesn’t always make them a lot of friends, but the ones they have are loyal and share the same ideas about what matters in life. The outlaw is often romanticized and well-liked, but other characters may grow to resent them through their envy of the outlaw’s lifestyle and freedom from expectations.

14. The Outlaw

Also called the revolutionary, <a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-rebel-archetype">the rebel archetype epitomizes “chaotic good”; </a>they have a cause and they’re not afraid to burn a few bridges, or cities, in its name. The rebel sees something deeply wrong in their society and takes it upon themselves to change it, because nobody else is going to. The rebel archetype is deeply protective of the ones they love but tend to alienate all but the most devoted due to their inflammatory ideas.The rebel is a natural leader, and their passion for their cause makes people want to follow them. This passion is boundless and transcends minor annoyances.

15. The Rebel

<a href="https://www.scribophile.com/academy/what-is-the-ruler-archetype">The ruler is a natural leader </a>in a position of power, such as a monarchy, a government office, or the head of a powerful company. Unlike the leadership skills displayed by the rebel, the ruler archetype thrives on order, stability, and tradition. They thrive in the status quo. They can be a force for good or for ill, but they will usually be put at odds with the hero for one simple reason: the ruler likes the way things are and doesn’t want them to change.

16. The Ruler

Learn about the 16 classic character archetypes in literature, and how to use them in your story in this ultimate guide to character archetypes.

Understand yourself and those around you.

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What Are Character Archetypes? 16 Archetypes, Plus Examples

But peace can be made only by those who are peaceful, and love can be shown only by those who love. No work of love will flourish out of guilt, fear, or hollowness of heart, just as no valid plans for the future can be made by those who have no capacity for living now.

If we want our reality to be a certain way — say, filled with love and success — then we have to become a source of those things from within. Telling ourselves 100 reasons everyday why we suck and haven’t gotten enough done is definitely not going to fill our world with love and success. Instead, we can practice gratefulness for what we do love, and seize what small opportunities we already have in front of us.

Focus On What’s Great About The Present Moment

We suffer from the delusion that the entire universe is held in order by the categories of human thought, fearing that if we do not hold to them with the utmost tenacity, everything will vanish into chaos. We must repeat: memory, thought, language, & logic are essential to human life. They are one half of sanity. But a person who is only half sane is insane. To look at life without words is not to lose the ability to form words — to think, remember, & plan. To be silent is not to lose your tongue. On the contrary, it is only through silence that one can discover something new to talk about.

It’s a common theme in Buddhism and any practice that involves meditation to seek to “quiet the mind,” to stop the mental chatter of unnecessary, agitating, & disempowering words we use constantly. Zen Buddhism goes so far to remove our dependency on language that at times it can seem like nonsense.Of course we need language to function in society, and to understand abstract patterns in our life. But our life is not made of words; it’s made of experiences. To constantly be thinking is to always have a veil of words over your eyes, blocking you from really drinking in the beauty of the present.

Truth Is Experience, Not Words

The way of Wisdom lies, therefore, in recognizing things which happen to you as your own karma — not as punishments for misdeeds or rewards for virtue (for there really is no “bad” or “good” karma), but as your own doing. For in this way you come to see that the real “you” includes both the controlled and the uncontrolled aspects of your experience.

Karma in Hinduism and Buddhism really just means “causality.” If you put your hand on a hot stove, you’ll get burned. You only “earned” the burn in the sense that you caused it. It happened. The key is to open your eyes and wake up to the fact that hot stoves burn, and adjust your behavior to keep your hands off them. If you accidentally do it again, it’s not divine punishment — it was just karma, cause and effect. It just happened, and now you can forgive yourself.

Good & Bad Are Two Faces of One Coin

Water takes the shape of whatever it is poured into. You are like the water, and the more peaceful you become, the more accurate your perception of reality will become. The more accurate your perception, the better you’ll be able to identify karmic patterns and change what you’re manifesting. And the more you’re manifesting peace, in this subconsciously active way, the more peaceful you become in the now.

Be Like Water

Become present, eliminate mental chatter, and take control of your karma.. “3 Alan Watts Quotes For Greater Inner Peace” is published by Zachary Burres.

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There is just something cathartic about pushing a button to snap a picture. It’s way more satisfying than a simple tap on the screen.  Plus, if you are on the go, you can quickly snap a picture without having to bend your wrists like a pretzel! If you are wondering how to take professional photos with an iPhone in a hurry, this is the best way! And it is super easy to do. <ol><li>Open the camera app from your home screen. </li><li>Set the scene in your frame, like you usually do.  </li><li>Press the “Volume up” button to take your picture.  </li> </ol>

Take Photos Using The Volume Button

When the Grid mode option is turned on, you will see two horizontal and two vertical lines that intersect to create a total of nine equally divided boxes. <ol><li>Open the settings on your home screen and go to Camera. </li><li>Go to Grid and turn on the switch.  </li> </ol>This will work for any iOS 7 and up . If you are still rocking the old school iPhones, you can access grid mode like this: <ol><li>Open the camera app. </li><li>Go to options. </li><li>Find Grid and turn it on! </li> </ol>

Use The Camera Grid Setting

The flash on iPhone cameras has improved over the years, but it still can add weird lighting to your photos. Have you thought about turning off the flash and using natural light? <ol><li>Open the camera app on your iPhone. </li><li>Tap the Flash icon to switch off the flash. </li></ol>Lower lighting or lighting from natural sources can add a beautiful, organic element to your photos. Just make sure you have a steady hand when taking pictures with iPhone.A tripod will help a lot, or prop your iPhone up against something stable enough to hold it. Then, tap away for flawless photos.

Forget The Built In Flash

For beginners and professional iPhone photographers alike, there are tons of photo editing apps out there to enhance your photos. The possibilities are virtually endless in iPhone photo editing these days!  Some of the best iPhone photo editing apps are totally free or free to use with in-app purchase options:  <ol><li>Snapseed  – Totally free to use! No subscription or in-app purchases required. </li><li>VSCO  – Free to use the basic version with extras available to buy. </li><li>Adobe Lightroom CC  – Free version is available with a premium option for $4.99. </li> </ol>

Photography/Editing Apps

Portrait mode is your best friend when it comes to shooting a single subject . Out of all the iPhone photography tips you read about, this is definitely a must to experiment with. Portrait mode blurs the background to keep your subject focused and sharpened.  This is how you take photos of iPhone using Portrait mode : <ol><li>Open your camera app and swipe to Portrait mode. </li><li>Different tips and lighting effects will appear on the screen. </li><li>When Portrait mode is ready,the lighting effect will turn yellow. </li><li>Press the shutter button. </li> </ol>

Use Portrait Mode

Action shots are always tough, and it’s hard to get a good shot in just one snap when you or your subject is moving. ‍Burst mode allows you to take ten frames in just one second.  Here is how to use Burst mode:<ol><li>For iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, press the shutter, swipe left and hold to take multiple shots in quick succession. </li><li>If you are usingiPhone XS or older, press the shutter down and hold to activate Burst mode. </li><li>Tap the thumbnail at the bottom . That will have your entire stack of photos taken in Burst mode. iOS automatically picks the best one, but you can decide which ones you want to keep. </li></ol>

Try Burst Mode

Using the AE/AF lock feature is an essential tool to master when learning how to shoot on iPhone. This feature lets you lock the focus and exposure when taking a photo and is crucial for professional iPhone photography.  How to use the iPhone AE/AF lock feature: <ol><li>Launch the camera app and frame your photo. </li><li>Tap and hold on the part of the screen that you want to focus on. </li><li>When you see the yellow box at the top of the screen, release your finger. </li><li>AE/AF lock is activated, the focus is locked on that part of the screen until you tap somewhere else.  </li> </ol>

Master AE/AF Lock

Out of all the iPhone camera tips, learning how to use the HDR Auto setting is invaluable. HDR stands for High Dynamic Range . Using it creates beautifully-lit images with vibrant colors and popping detail .  How to use HDR Auto setting: <ol><li>Access Settings from your home screen and go to Camera .  </li><li>Make sure Smart HDR (Auto HDR on older iPhones) is turned off. Otherwise, you won’t have the option in the camera app.  </li><li>Make sure Normal Photo is turned on , so it saves a non-HDR version, too.  </li><li>Go to the Camera app. </li><li>Make sure HDR is turned on and start shooting! </li> </ol>

Try HDR Mode For Better Exposure

This feature helps you take both selfies and group shots. Plus, it utilizes the Burst feature! It will automatically take a batch of ten photos so you can pick out which one you like best.  How to use the time function: <ol><li>Launch the Camera app . </li><li>Position your phone so that it frames what you are trying to capture. </li><li>Tap the clock icon at the top of the screen. You can pick either a 3-second or 10-second timer, depending on what you need.   </li> </ol>

Use The Timer

If you master the best iPhone camera settings and are still looking to up your game, you can buy iPhone photo accessories. For example, if you want to <a href="https://tailwindapp.com/blog/how-to-take-product-photos-iphone/">take product photos on your iPhone </a>, you can purchase lighting kits and other useful accessories to get the best shots, as well as cases/attachable lenses and filters.

Try Out iPhone Photo Accessories

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10 iPhone Photography Tips for More Professional Pics!

It’s interesting-most people think about therapy as something that involves going in and undoing what’s happened. But whatever your past experiences created in your brain, the associations exist and you can’t just delete them. You can’t get rid of the past.

So I’m not crazy? No. Your brain is doing exactly what you would expect it to do considering what you lived through.

You can’t give what you don’t get. If no one ever spoke to you, you can’t speak; if you have never been loved, you can’t be loving.

The pillars of traditional healing were 1) connection to clan and the natural world; 2) regulating rhythm through dance, drumming, and song; 3) a set of beliefs, values, and stories that brought meaning to even senseless, random trauma; 4) on occasion, natural hallucinogens or other plant-derived substances used to facilitate healing with the guidance of a healer or elder. It is not surprising that today’s best practices in trauma treatment are basically versions of these four things.

The Pillars of Traditional Healing 

This is true. Your past is not an excuse. But it is an explanation—offering insight into the questions so many of us ask ourselves: Why do I behave the way I behave? Why do I feel the way I do?

“Your past is not an excuse.” 

Very often, “what happened” takes years to reveal itself. It takes courage to confront our actions, peel back the layers of trauma in our lives, and expose the raw truth of our past. But this is where healing begins.

Trauma leaves your shipwrecked. You are left to rebuild your inner world. Part of the rebuilding, the healing process, is revisiting the shattered hull of your old worldview; you sift through the wreckage looking for what remains, seeking your broken pieces…as you revisit the ship-wreck, piece by piece, you find a fragment and move it to your new, safer place in the now-altered landscape. You build a new worldview. That takes time. And many visits to the wreckage.

What Does Trauma Do To Us?

What happened to you as an infant has a profound impact on this capacity to love and be loved.

Stress is not something to be afraid of or avoided. It is the controllability, pattern, and intensity of stress that can cause problems.

In the wake of trauma, the hardest thing to understand is that nothing and no one can take away the pain. And yet that’s exactly what we desperately want to do-because we are social creatures, subject to emotional contagion, and when we’re around people who are hurting, we hurt too. We don’t want to hurt. It is hard to sit in the midst of ruined lives and not feel the misery. It helps us regulate to try to undo or negate-to look away from others’ pain. So we make our arbitrary assumptions about people’s innate resilience.

We can help each other heal, but often assumptions about resilience and grit blind us to the healing that leads us down the painful path to wisdom.

Your connectedness to other people is so key to buffering any current stressor—and to healing from past trauma. Being with people who are present, supportive, and nurturing. Belonging.

Balance is the core of health. We feel and function best when our body’s systems are in balance, and when we’re in balance with friends, family, community, and nature.

"Through this lens we can build a renewed sense of personal self-worth and ultimately recalibrate our responses to circumstances, situations, and relationships. It is, in other words, the key to reshaping our very lives." -Oprah Winfrey

ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Our earliest experiences shape our lives far down the road, and What Happened to You? provides powerful scientific and emotional insights into the behavioral patterns so many of us struggle to understand. “Through this lens we can build a renewed sense of personal self-worth and ultimately recalibrate our responses to circumstances, situations, and relationships. It is, in other words, the key to reshaping our very lives.”—Oprah Winfrey This book is going to change the way you see your life. Have you ever wondered "Why did I do that?" or "Why can't I just control my behavior?" Others may judge our reactions and think, "What's wrong with that person?" When questioning our emotions, it's easy to place the blame on ourselves; holding ourselves and those around us to an impossible standard. It's time we started asking a different question. Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and renowned brain and trauma expert Dr. Bruce Perry offer a groundbreaking and profound shift from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” Here, Winfrey shares stories from her own past, understanding through experience the vulnerability that comes from facing trauma and adversity at a young age. In conversation throughout the book, she and Dr. Perry focus on understanding people, behavior, and ourselves. It’s a subtle but profound shift in our approach to trauma, and it’s one that allows us to understand our pasts in order to clear a path to our future—opening the door to resilience and healing in a proven, powerful way.

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As the visionary and leader behind OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network and formerly the supervising producer and host of the top-rated, award-winning “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” Oprah has entertained and inspired millions of viewers to live their best lives. Her accomplishments as a global media leader and philanthropist have established her as one of the most respected and admired public figures today.

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Bruce D. Perry is an American psychiatrist, currently the senior fellow of the Child Trauma Academy in Houston, Texas and an adjunct professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois.

What Are Character Archetypes? 16 Archetypes, Plus Examples

3 Alan Watts Quotes For Greater Inner Peace

10 iPhone Photography Tips for More Professional Pics!

What Happened to You?

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