Archetypes and Collective Unconscious

Abstract

The collective unconscious is the oldest and most awesome layer of a human psyche, containing universal themes, which are more or less the same for all individuals. Adopting Jung’s terminology we call them archetypes. They are patterns of behaviour which determine our developmental phases. Archetypes are a function of the psyche and we can only come to understand them by observing the way in which they manifest in our lives. On a body level they manifest as an instinct and on a soul level they manifest as an archetypal image. – The Self is understood to be the main archetype, motivating and coordinating all else. Some psychologists call the Self the cental source of life energy. It is also the spiritual base from which the ego is born, which makes it even more important to consider patients in psychotherapy holistically and not simply as a well functioning ego.