Jungian Personality Types and Archetypes
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is a well-known and popular personality test that you can take for free on the Internet. This personality test is known for its accuracy in predicting the specific preferences of 16 different universally-established personality types, including frequent mannerisms, love interests, and satisfaction and skill in various occupations. Relatively few people are aware that Carl G. Jung first published his theory of Personality Types in 1913 from which the MBTI was formed.
Prior to Carl Jung’s book on Personality Types was his theory of Archetypes. An archetype is identified by an image in your mind that forms when you hear the word “Baker,” or “Biker;” –"Mother,” or “Father.” It is a constellation of ideas and sensations that are somewhat stereotypically clustered together by society, yet also are always uniquely colored by your own personal experiences and sense of reality.
“Archetypes form the backbone of modern psychology. They are images from whence derive the angels and devils of all religions.* The heroes and villains of fairy tales, myths, modern novels, and movies, the good guy in the white hat and the bad guy in the black hat, the good guy’s trusty steed, and the hapless heroine waiting to be rescued are all archetypal. Archetypes are painted on cathedral walls and holy temples, and corporations unwittingly structure their hierarchy in their image. They appear in the works of Leonardo DaVinci, Michelangelo, Salvador Dali, and all artists and musicians everywhere. Archetypes form the basis of every book ever written, every movie ever made, and every song ever sung.” –Jana Riley
Personality types are based on the Jungian concepts of whether you are a(n):
Introvert/Extrovert
Thinking/Feeling type
Sensation/Intuitive type
Judgmental/Perceptive type
When you participate in psychoanalysis with a therapist specially-trained in Jungian psychology, you can get to know yourself better on an archetypal level for a more grounded, mindful attentiveness to your higher Self’s desires and fears. You can get to know the archetypes that resonate with your sense of wellbeing, and the archetypes that can trigger you into a panic!
*an interesting side-note is that archetypes are also found in tarot card games, in the forms of the trump cards. Many of the trumps correspond to a mythical figure known in earlier cultural histories, such as The Empress relating to the Greek goddess Demeter, and The Emperor relating to the Greek god Aries. This is where Jungian Psychology, mythology, astrology, and symbolism intersect!
