Archetypes are a collective unconscious

Carl Jung considered the mental existence of man as a complex dynamic integrity, on which the archetypes of collective unconscious experience are based. Jung defined them as formal factors responsible for the unconscious organization of mental processes. Along with that, archetypes are universal images, in the human psyche they took their place in the extreme antiquity and eventually turned into universally recognized symbols of the culture of the world.

Characteristic features of the collective unconscious

In life, there are many archetypes, and Carl Jung, as a result of his studies of psychology and mythology, described many of them. Archetypes are components of the unconscious, endowed with characteristic features. For example, if a person does heroic deeds in a dream, then he manifests himself in the image of a hero-savior. As a rule, we identify ourselves with archetypes in the transitional moments of our life, because changes disturb us and make us think about our own behavior.

Types of archetypes by Jung

"Shadow" - the archetype is the unconscious part of the psyche of the individual, the dark side of his personality, which is beyond consciousness. This is the part of the human psyche that can not be eliminated. In this archetype all that dark and animal is concentrated, which rejects the individual "I". "Shadow" shows the difference between normative and non-normative behavior. In man, his dark side manifests as an unconscious attraction to the forbidden and criminal.

"Mask" -Archetype is a person's means of hiding the secret "I". Defending his inner self, a person tries to look like public opinion requires. Ultimately, the "mask" can lead to the depersonalization of the inner "I" and to spiritual degradation.

"Anima" is the archetypes of men, the female image in the male subconscious. But he also has another meaning - an image of deep subconscious wisdom and spirituality. The male image in the female subconscious is represented by the archetype "Animus".

The archetype "Self" allows you to feel the individuality and isolation of your being and at the same time its correlation with the world. Earthly wisdom and the synthesis of the conscious and unconscious personifies the archetype "Wise old man".

There are other archetypes - these are images of the evil spirit, god, mystery, miracle, Apollo, Dionysius and others. These are all forms through which the collective unconscious manifests itself in the individual inner world of each person .

Archetypes help the human mind to adapt to the conditions of external reality. Archetypes are the unconscious needs of people for various forms of transgressive behavior, including creative activity. The whole existence of people is subject to three basic models of social behavior: chaos, order and harmony. Chaos implies war against all, order is cooperation with all, equilibrium relations or calm neutrality, harmony is mutual understanding and agreement of all with everyone, something that everyone should strive for.