Archetypes are everywhere these days. Most recently Tony Robbins, the author, coach and speaker with a worldwide following, held an online summit where he discussed four archetypes. Over two million people attended. Meghan Markle has a podcast called Archetypes. If you search archetypes and marketing, you will find a slew of ad agencies and consultants using archetypes to brand products. And, in an age of people finding themselves, a popular path nowadays is towards the question “what is my archetype?” Yet, in most cases where archetypes appear in popular culture their key gift to making sense of the world is missed.

The idea of Archetypes is usually attributed to the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung and some have called Jung’s theory of archetypes one of the seminal ideas of the 20^th century. Yet Jung himself was hearkening back to the Greek philosopher Plato who used the term Ideas to describe a similar concept. Pythagoras used Forms, Kant “a priori categories of the human psyche” and Schopenhauer “prototypes that are the original forms of all phenomena.” All these thinkers, within their various cultures and in vastly differing centuries, had one thing in common: they believed that there are certain building blocks in the universe, principles that underlie everything. If we follow this idea of universal constants to the understanding of human beings, this same rule applies: there are shared universal principles that are innate to the human experience and that transcend time, culture and language.

This brings us directly to the problem of archetypes the way they are usually presented in contemporary culture: rather than using archetypes to describe what we all share as members of the human family, archetypes are used as a way to distinguish ourselves from others. Archetypes are being used as a typology: “I am this (arche) type.” Typologies are vastly popular. We like to know our Enneagram type, our Meyers-Briggs Type Indicator, our zodiacal Sun Sign and so on. Typologies are used as singular and exclusionary descriptors. If I am a Libra, I am not one of the other 11 Sun Signs. In this way, typologies contribute to othering. They show what is different between us. I have an identity that is separate from yours.

Such simplistic classifications are also filled with clichés. Worse, the simple labels they provide offer little distinction between those that are the same type. Worst, though, typologies often contain stereotypical ideas that are only rarely complimentary (such as, “the French are good lovers”). Typologies can be racist and limiting or give a false sense of grandeur: “I’m a Magician!” Typologies are also used to paint with a broad and unrefined paint brush (“all the rich are greedy” or “all mothers are nurturing.”) Therefore, the way archetypes are commonly used is flawed and certainly not what Jung had in mind when he spoke about inner archetypes and the multitudes we contain.

The way we experience ourselves is far richer than simple (stereo) types. As the poet Rilke wrote, “There are many more faces, for each person has several.” Rilke was right. Go back to the last time you had an inner conversation with yourself, an inner deliberation with different voices. Perhaps it sounded something like, “I really can’t stay in this situation - but I’m afraid of change.” Such an inner dialogue with yourself is not possible if you are a singular type. Do you remember those old cartoons with the devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other as both whisper in the ear of the decision maker caught betwixt? This is not a bad description of how we actually experience our inner lives. 

Jung knew this. In his model there are several inner archetypes, parts of us, that are all present at all times. Our inner life does not fit neatly into a box. As Charles Simic wrote, “our psychic life is more like a squabbling theatrical company trying to rehearse a play we don’t even know the name of.” Have you ever felt like this? Welcome to being human.

Which brings us back to Tony Robbins. If you listen to him carefully, he understands the points made here. He speaks of “the part of you that…” To process this as a follower of Robbins requires complexity capability, the ability to think about many interplaying parts at once. Most comments I found after his online gathering instead were along the line of “I found my Archetype.” That is akin to saying “I found a new label to give myself.” This is not growth or self-awareness; it is personal rebranding using a new sticker on my forehead and is far easier than what Robbins is actually teaching. In a world of quick fixes and easy answers, thinking of ourselves as multiple inside, with many different voices is not easy and takes practice. Here’s how you can start.

Make a slight change in your language and give a friend permission to gently remind you when you fall into old typological patterns. For instance, rather than saying “I am a Renegade” say “My inner Renegade is often center stage in my life.” As you say this, keep in your awareness other archetypes on your inner stage, ready to step forward with all sorts of gifts. Need to hold your ground? Step into your inner Warrior. Need to care for an elderly parent, trust your inner Nurturer to take charge. This slight shift in how you speak about yourself shows a huge shift in awareness and is a direct way to speak to your innate inner multiplicity.

So how do we tie inner multiplicity back to Plato? Jung taught us that our inner figures are archetypal in nature. Thus, archetypes are underlying patterns of human nature and experience that are, often invisibly, “running the show.” I have said that archetypes are the human genome of the soul. We share them, they unite us. You will find the same archetypes wherever you go.

So, remember, I am many things! Don’t put me in a box and slap a label on me. Even if that label is an archetype.

Do you want to decode the archetypes in your life? We offer in-depth training that teaches you how to see through any situation, problem or person and understand the archetypes at play. Learn how to apply the language of archetypes to your current helping profession or leadership challenge.