arketyper

Arketyper are universal, symbolic patterns that recur across human cultures in myths, dreams, and storytelling. The term archetype comes from Greek archetypos, meaning original pattern, and was popularized in modern psychology by Carl Jung, who argued that archetypes reside in the collective unconscious—a shared reservoir of psychic predispositions.

In Jungian theory, arketyper are not learned ideas but predispositions that shape perceptions, motivations, and behavior. They express themselves through images, motifs, and character types in narratives and dream material. Across cultures, archetypal motifs such as birth, initiation, quest, and transformation appear in myths, religions, and fairy tales, often embodied in recurring character templates.

Common arketyper include the Hero, the Mentor, the Shadow, the Trickster, the Mother, the Child, the Sage, the Lover, the Explorer, and the Ruler. Different traditions classify archetypes in varied ways, and many lists coexist. Arketyper provide familiar templates for plots and character arcs, helping audiences recognize and emotionally engage with stories while allowing flexible interpretation.

Applications and limitations: In literature, film, and marketing, arketyper guide storytelling and the construction of brand personas (for example, career archetypes such as the Hero or the Mentor). In psychology, they inform dream interpretation and therapeutic approaches. Critics caution that arketyper can overgeneralize, overlook cultural and historical context, and risk stereotyping individuals or groups.

See also: collective unconscious, monomyth, Jung, Campbell, Propp, myth.