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Thursday, September 01, 2005
Rimban: Understanding archetypal psychology
By Erwin Rimban
ARCHETYPAL psychology is one of the newer emerging forces in the field of psychology. But it is not completely understood by students of psychology and even psychology teachers. Today, I am going to share a few things about this field, which will hopefully enlighten those who are interested in pursuing it in their studies.
This field has its roots in the ideas and works of the brilliant psychologist Carl Jung, one of the greatest thinkers of all time and, definitely, one of the greatest psychologists in the history of the world. Dr. Jung was once the heir apparent of Freud himself in the psychoanalytic hierarchy but they had a falling-out and each pursued their respective goals without the emotional support of the other. Jung's predilection to study the esoteric arts of wisdom seemed to be a habit not supported by Freud, who was skeptical of the mystical bent of the former. Yet, Jung had the brilliance, audacity and persistence to venture into fields that Freud never explored. Examples of these fields are alchemy, astrology, tarot, I Ching and many others. In many ways, it is the persistence of Jung which has yielded gems of wisdom that later sprouted to become one of the novelties of his day, the study of the archetypes.
An archetype is a universal symbol that is present in the Collective Unconscious of mankind. Many experiences of man are so prevalent that they become impressed into the Collective Unconscious. Examples are birth, death, marriage, love, community, parenthood, and even transcendental experiences. We speak of the Great Mother archetype when recollecting the ways in which we were nurtured by our primary caregivers. We speak of the Lover archetype when reminiscing our romantic adventures. We speak of the archetype of the High King when we recall the skills of an exceptional leader. These are examples of the ways in which we build archetypes and elevate them into collective consciousness.
Jung introduced many archetypal patterns into human thought. Psychology students have now become familiar with archetypes like the Persona, the Shadow, the Animus, the Anima and the Self, which were once the sole domain of analytical psychology experts. Analytical psychology is the perspective of psychoanalysis that was championed by Carl Jung. Archetypal psychology is the branch of psychology, which studies the archetypes of the Collective Unconscious and their effects on the behavior of man. There are many concepts and principles, which are similar to both fields and for all intents and purposes, we can say that they are practically the same.
What are the sources for data analysis in archetypal psychology? One source is the world of dreams. An archetypal psychologist analyzes the dream content of his clients and from there he extracts the archetypes that are relevant to the experience of a particular client. Another source is the world of art. Artists are a veritable goldmine of archetypes. Yet another source is mythology and religion. Mythology provides a dramatic source for the archetypes that are symbolic of the universal consciousness of a particular culture. For example, a movie like the Lord of the Rings or Star Wars can yield many archetypal patterns that are manifested by human civilization at this point in time. The Wise Man archetype is manifested in characters like Yoda and Gandalf. The archetype of the Hero is exemplified by Frodo and Anakin Skywalker. The Dark Adversary archetype is manifested by characters like Darth Vader and Sauron. The archetype of the Courageous Leader is exemplified by Aragorn and Mace Windu.
All the great stories of mankind have been incredible instruments, which attempt to educate us about the universal archetypes. The Iliad and Odyssey of Homer. The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri. The Canterbury Tales. Pilgrim's Progress. Alice in Wonderland. Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. If you love epic fantasy, the best fantasy series in modern times, The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, is an excellent source of archetypal education. Parents should take the initiative by buying books for their kids, which contain archetypal motifs.
Carl Jung's legacy continues to this day. There will always be great stories as long as humanity exists on this earth. And there will always be archetypal patterns in these great stories. Let me share more of this in the future. For comments, questions and inquiries, my email is wizardspen@yahoo.com. God bless you all.
(September 1, 2005 issue)
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