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Jungian Character Archetypes

[ALT TEXT: the Innocent: Judy Garland as Dorothy Gale, the Wizard of Oz | the Sage: Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, the Karate Kid | the Explorer: Jamie Chung as Mulan, Once Upon a Time | the Outlaw: Antonio Banderas as Alejandro Murrieta, the Mask of Zorro | the Magician: Christopher Lee as Saruman the White, Lord of the Rings | the Hero: Sandra Oh as Eve Polastri, Killing Eve | the Lover: Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad as Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet | the Jester: Tigger, Winnie the Pooh | the Everyman: Lilo Pelekai, Lilo and Stitch | the Caregiver: Katara, Avatar: the Last Airbender | the Ruler: Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn II Elessar, Lord of the Rings | the Artist: Tiana, the Princess and the Frog]

Jung’s character archetypes are sorted into four major categories: ego, self, and soul.

The ego archetypes consist of the Innocent, the Hero, the Everyman, and the Caregiver.

The Innocent desires happiness above all else. Their optimism is nonpareil, oftentimes to the point of naivety. They are sincere and sympathetic, and can be one of the most inspirational and convincing archetypes. Their strengths lie in their optimism and imagination, as do their weaknesses. They often lead a sheltered life, and opt to ignore harsh realities in favor of their idealistic fantasy world. They rely heavily on others for protection, whether they realize it or not.

Oftentimes forced into action, the Hero wants to prove their worth and return home triumphant. They are determined and perseverant, but are easily dragged into an endless cycle of impossible task after impossible task by their love of victory. Their character faults include hubris, apathy, and rejecting help. If they give into their flaws, they can become the ruthless villain.

The Everyman seeks connection and meaningful relationships, and longs for security and acceptance. They often have a traumatic or troubled past that has forced them to grow up too quickly and/or adopt a pessimistic worldview. They are down-to-earth and empathetic, with a good work ethic. Their flaws include self-pity, trust issues, and being overly desperate to please others.

The Caregiver is fulfilled by taking care of others. They are compassionate, generous, and dedicated, and they work to keep the people they love from being hurt. They are prone to martyrdom and being taken advantage of, and can become bitter when the latter of the two occurs. They often demand acknowledgement of the sacrifices they make, and are prone to guilt tripping those who don’t.

The self archetypes consist of the Sage, the Magician, the Jester, and the Ruler.

The Sage desires knowledge. They seek to understand the world through an analytical lens, and prefer to think with their head over their heart. They often believe that the only meaningful life path is that spent in pursuit of the truth, and one of their greatest fears is personal truth based on falsehood. They are not easily corruptible and are more open to other perspectives than the other archetypes. They can be overly cruel or critical towards those less enlightened than them.

The Magician is not overly concerned with the affairs of those they deem less than them. Their interests lie with the cosmic truth, and accumulation of power. They prefer to fight from a distance due to a strong sense of self-preservation, functioning as the chess-master of a game, and they will often decline to inform the pieces that the game even exists. They are rigid and unyielding, and often seen as dishonest, manipulative, and a coward.

The Jester is comfortable with the hypocrisy of the world, and uses humor to illuminate it. They do not seek to solve the problem of the story. They excel at lightening up the situation, but can be uncomfortable or facetious in situations where humor is inappropriate. They don’t make plans for the future, and can have an extreme lack of impulse control.

The Ruler is at the top of the food chain. They are often ineffective or overly controlling, but always concerned with maintaining their power and generating wealth and prosperity. Their greatest fear is being overthrown; they often are doing what they believe to be right, but are almost never universally loved by the people they reign over. If they succumb to their darker impulses, they are the most dangerous of the archetypes due to their absolute power.

The soul archetypes are the Explorer, the Outlaw, the Lover, and the Artist.

The Explorer, unlike the hero, needs no inciting incident to seek out adventure. They are motivated by independence and ungained knowledge, and their worst nightmare is conformity. They are self-sufficient, sometimes to the point of becoming a misfit. Their goals are often impossible to reach, and they can become aimless wanderers or thrill-seekers.

The Outlaw lives for revolution. They desire to make the world a better place, and are often motivated by a desire for revenge. They are independent and radical, and often stubborn beyond belief. It is not uncommon for them to turn the other cheek to the collateral damage caused by their vigilante efforts and lose their sense of morality. They often alienate their family and friends.

The Lover is most concerned with the creation of lasting, meaningful relationships. Often optimistic, they wear their heart on their sleeve and are terrified of being alone. Their goals are often ridiculously specific, and failing to achieve them can leave them so broken-hearted that they never recover. They risk losing their self-identity in order to please the person they love, and can grow bitter in their failures. They can have commitment problems, and objectify the recipient of their desire.

The Artist, also known as the Creator, has imagination without limits and is often shown as ahead of their time. Mediocrity is their worst fear, and they crave authenticity and uniqueness. They make enemies easily within their chosen field. They can be unorganized, and sometimes abandon morality in the pursuit of their craft. Because of their abilities, they have the tendency to play god and allow the end to justify the means. Many villains had their start as an enthusiastic and impulsive Artist.

source: arielhudnall.com