Archetypes In The Innocent Child

Carl Jung shared many of Sigmund Freud’s beliefs about the human mind. However, Jung developed his own theory regarding the unconscious mind, stating that it consists of the personal and collective unconscious (Morris, C. G., & Maisto, A. A., p.359). Jung believed that within the collective unconscious, the behaviors and memories passed down from past generations were stored (Morris, C. G., & Maisto, A. A., p. 360). Thus, these memories and behavior patterns are shared by all human beings (Morris, C. G., & Maisto, A. A., p. 360). Following his theory, the human mind is the result of the millions of years of evolution. Because of this, the mind has developed “thought forms”, meaning collective memories, of thoughts, feelings, images, and overall experiences that people have shared since the beginning of the human race (Morris, C. G., & Maisto, A. A., p. 360). Jung called these “thought forms” archetypes. The concept of archetypes is still present in today’s study of psychology. The individuals of our society cannot be filed under one single archetype, but are rather a conglomerate of archetypes distributed differently throughout our species. After researching the

different Jungian archetypes, interviewing family, and taking a self analysis test, my three major archetypes are The Innocent Child, The Joker, and The Hero.
My most dominant archetype is The Innocent Child.

People in this category often seek out the role of leadership/power in a social or group setting. Another trait of The Innocent Child is the belief that life does not need too be difficult. People with the qualities of The Innocent child are often dependent on others, but are also capable of having spontaneous optimism in situations (Archetypes 101. (n.d.)). After reading this analysis I concur that this mirrors my attitude and how I approach life. As the youngest child of a large family, my life has constantly been filled with people and their opinions. Having this background makes me more dependent on what others say or do than a person who comes from a smaller household. Because of this, I agree that The Innocent child is my most dominant

archetype.
Once I had figured out my dominating archetype, I was curious to see what other archetypes my personality is composed of. After consulting family and online recourses, I concluded that I have an equal amount of traits of the archetypes, The Joker, and The Hero. The Joker is an archetype that urges others to enjoy life and make the most out of every situation (Archetypes 101. (n.d.)). While they can be prone to laziness, The Joker demonstrates to our society that it is possible to have a balanced work and leisure life. This archetype is very similar to my behavior patterns, while I have some tendencies to be lazy at times, my optimism when faced with negative situations, and my ability to have fun with others in undeniable. I also share similarities with The Hero archetype. The Hero helps others with setting and achieving their goals and provides assistance in difficult times (Archetypes 101. (n.d.)). This archetype often views others as potential enemies and looks at situations as either/or rather than as the big picture (Archetypes 101. (n.d.)). After reading about this archetype, I immediately knew that I shared similar patterns with it. Although I don’t view others as enemies, my friends often turn to me for advice in complex situations, and I tend to go through life using the either/or thought process. Upon reflection, I agree that I also display traits with these archetypes.
The human mind cannot be labeled as one archetype, but is rather a collection of archetypes forming unique minds throughout the human race. My most dominant archetypes are The Innocent Child, The Joker, and The Hero. However, each of us share traits of all of the archetypes within the Jungian theory, but with a different distribution.