Have you ever thought about which psychological archetype you belong to? What are the underlying motivations that drive your behavior? These 20 questions will help you find out.
Archetypal psychology was a movement that began in the 1970s, spurred by James Hillman. It relativizes and deliteralizes the notion of ego and focuses instead on what you might call your soul. It’s similar in a way to polytheistic mythology in that it recognizes the myriad of fantasies and myths that shape our consciousness.
Psychological Archetypes
According to the psychiatrist and psychotherapist Carl Gustav Jung, archetypes are thoughts or images, or symbols that have different meanings across cultures. And these archetypes may show up in literature, religion, dreams, or art.
Jung analyzed that everyone’s personality is composed of four major archetypes, which direct and influence our present behavior. These are Persona, Anima/Animus, the Shadow, and the Self.
The Persona
The persona or “conformity” archetype represents not who you are but the outward face or mask that you present to the world. We often conceal the real self for the sake of work or family or to fit in the societal rules of social life.
The Anima/Animus
This archetype represents the mirror image of our biological sex. Anima is the unconscious feminine side in males and the Animus is the unconscious masculine side in women. By integrating masculine and feminine aspects into our psyche, we become whole.
Next is the shadow representing chaos, wildness, and unknown, which are the darker side of the psyche. This archetype is the source of both our creative and destructive energies.
The Self
Finally, there is the self that is achieved by understanding and integrating the above archetypes. The state of a well-developed self is similar to self-actualization where you have a personality of a wise man or wise woman.
Jung also defined twelve psychological archetypes, which are inborn tendencies that symbolize basic human motivations. These types are divided into three sets of four, namely Ego (conscious mind), Soul, and Self.
The Ego Types
- The Innocent
- The Orphan/Regular Guy or Gal
- The Hero
- The Caregiver
The Soul Types
- The Explorer
- The Rebel
- The Lover
- The Creator
The Self Types
- The Jester
- The Sage
- The Magician
- The Ruler
Want to know which one is yours?
Take the quiz to find out!
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