Woman will be caring and man strong or Archetypes rule the world and often "manipulate" us without us noticing. What is the collective unconscious?
Collective unconscious and archetypes
Dreams, myths and fairy tales, religious symbolism, but also our behaviour in relationships, or even social norms and expectations - all these are deeply rooted in our behaviour and derive from so-called archetypes. One example for all: the expectation that a woman will be nurturing and a man strong and independent is a kind of archetype whose roots can be linked to the so-called collective unconscious, i.e. the all-encompassing social "rules" based on archetypal ideas and experiences shared by people across cultures and time. And how they think and how they behave is then determined by these shared ideas. Without, of course, realizing that they are subject to the influence of the collective unconscious. The Swiss psychologist C. G. Jung, who also formulated the theory of the collective unconscious, discusses the issue of archetypes and their impact on our lives at some length. So how do archetypes influence our lives on an unconscious level?
Archetypes vs. gender stereotypes
Although gender issues are becoming increasingly controversial these days, and many are concerned about shifts in perceptions of what "makes a woman a woman and a man a man" invoke tradition and historical orders - and the criticism of "progressives" is then heaped on their heads for a change - the truth is, as has already been suggested, it is not difficult to attribute this reasoning to the archetype system.
Jung himself elaborates his ideas of archetypes on the concepts, in a sense, of androgynous entities, or archetypal symbols, which he refers to as animus and anima. The anima, according to Jung, is central within the psychology of the male, while being ascribed stereotypically feminine qualities. The animus then manifests itself in the female unconscious, while representing, on the contrary, masculine qualities, ruthlessness, stubbornness... It is also certainly appropriate to mention that according to Jung, the anima is the unconscious feminine side of man, which men should accept and acknowledge its influence in order to achieve good mental health and harmony. Which is certainly a rather timeless idea, especially since men today, perhaps more than ever before, are trying to suppress the "feminine side" of themselves, which is proving to take a toll on their mental health as well. On the other hand, if women embrace animus, it won't do them much good, as the associated traits are perceived more negatively in women.
Zdroj: Giphy
While the anima/animus archetypes cannot be seen as synonymous with gender stereotypes, they can undoubtedly be intertwined with how gender roles are perceived in society.
The hero, or the cultural archetype that accompanies us at every turn
Of course, archetypes cannot be seen only from a gender perspective, but on the other hand, Jung's archetypes are quite tempting - he also mentions the archetypes of mother and father, wise old man and old woman, virgin, etc. However, the archetype of the hero is also quite interesting.
Archetypes are also reflected in shared mythology, in fairy tales and in the plane of symbolism in general. How did this happen? In all likelihood, people in the past faced some life situations more often than others - and likewise, these situations usually led to similar outcomes and became de facto so "typical" that we have internalized them. And so we continue to pass on the resulting archetypes from generation to generation, including through culture. The aforementioned hero archetype is so popular not only in cinema or literature, but also in marketing. Advertising campaigns then tell stories of 'heroes' who face challenges but ultimately overcome them and triumph. In practical terms, this means that the products on offer are a tool for customers to win their struggles in life. For marketers, the hero archetype has become a tool to create a strong emotional connection between the customer and the brand.
Collective unconscious a la 2025
While the ideas of early 20th century psychologists may no longer be relevant to many, the truth is that Jung's concept of the collective unconscious and the associated archetypes are still "alive". Even today, we are surrounded by ideas and perceptions shaped by archetypes at every turn. Jung's theory of the collective unconscious is also still in use within psychology. And how do we discover and explore the area of our "unconscious"? This area is the focus of the increasingly popular concept of mindfulness, which seeks to tap into the inner world of the self in a fully conscious way. Incidentally - Jung described this "path" as the path to wholeness of personality.
You may be waving your hand at all this "depth" now. But try to remember the collective unconscious, perhaps when you succeed at something, or even win something. Or when you admire someone for their courage and determination - all related to the hero archetype. But you can also think about Jung when you read debates on social media or in discussions under articles - because the values and norms that some people stand for more firmly than others (from which conflicts arise) and perceive reality through them are also related to the collective unconscious. The latter is then not necessarily quite as "real" as it may seem.
Finally, it may be appropriate to think about the collective unconscious and archetypes also in the context of politics and election campaigns. Politics too often builds on archetypes - and thus tries to influence ad hoc how we perceive reality and how we behave - and thus who we vote for. Indeed, if archetypes and the associated symbolism are 'handled correctly', it is quite easy to influence the perception of the political issues and values put forward, without being fully aware of it ourselves. So who will be our "hero"? Who will correctly evoke "fear" (because the image of the "enemy" is also a classic archetypal tool for manipulation - after all, who wouldn't prefer "good" to "evil", right?) or, on the contrary, "hope"? So when you hear something about patriotism, traditional values, etc., try to think first whether the one who uses these symbolic terms is not trying to activate one of the classical archetypal ideas with a clear goal...
