Since the start of time people have thought day and night about this question — “Who am I?”. The tough part is, not one can tell your the right answer, what is tougher to accept is the fact that you as an individual can live 30–40 years and still contemplate the same question.
You are one person today and can be a new person tomorrow. But the real questions is, what kind of person are you at your very core. People change their habits frequently, I can like painting one day and stitching the next but what kind of morals do you carry at your very centre?
You can feel like you are in the backseat of your own life, like someone else is driving decisions for you and even though you want to intervene you don’t know how. That is an existing psychological problem to which Carl Jung has a lot to say.
Carl Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist who is well known for his contributions in the field of understanding personalities, studying the unconscious mind and looking at psychology from a more analytical point of view. According to him, every person has a unique personality that is shaped by the experiences they have in their life — this personality is also affected by their interactions from the outside world and also their unconscious thoughts. However, Jung also believed that other than a self personality, there is also a collective unconscious that threads all humans. The key to find one’s true self is to explore both — individual and collective unconscious.
“Individuation means becoming an “in-dividual,” and, in so far as “individuality” embraces our innermost, last, and incomparable uniqueness, it also implies becoming one’s own self. We could therefore translate individuation as “coming to selfhood” . . .”
Unconscious Types
Jung’s theory tells you to focus on your unconscious mind because that is where your unfiltered thought collect. Your personal unconscious is a home to repressed memories, your experiences that you’ve had in your life and your interactions with the world. On the other hand, your collective unconscious is a deeper psyche shared by other humans, to simplify, it is the unconscious that is passed down from ancestors. (An explanation to how generational traumas happen in family)
Now that you have the backdrop, let me tell you how you can find your true self. For this, you need to know one last term that is ‘archetypes’. These are the beliefs and morals from across the globe that happen to stay in your dreams, fantasies and build your unconscious experiences.
There are 4 types of archetypes
- The Persona:
It is how we present ourselves to the world. The word “persona” is derived from a Latin word that literally means “mask.” It represents how we act around people, how we shield our emotions, talk to people and change our behaviours. According to Jung, the persona may appear in dreams and take different forms.
2. The Shadow
The shadow is an archetype that consists of the sex and life instincts. It exists as part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings. This form is a result of trying to fit in the cultural norms and become more acceptable by society. It is this archetype that contains all of the things that are unacceptable not only to society, but also to one’s own personal morals and values. It might include things such as envy, hate, and aggression etc.
3. The anima/animus
Anima is a feminine image in the male psyche, and the animus is a male image in the female psyche.
This represents the “true self” rather than the image we present to others and serves as a source of communication with the collective unconscious.
Jung believed that physiological changes as well as social influences contributed to the development of sex roles. These archetypal images are based upon both what is found in the collective and personal unconscious. The collective unconscious may contain notions about how women should behave while personal experience with wives, girlfriends, sisters, and mothers contribute to more personal images of women.
4. The self
This is an archetype that represents the unified unconsciousness and consciousness of an individual. Jung often represented the self as a circle, square, or mandala.
Creating the self occurs through a process known as individuation, in which the various aspects of personality are integrated. Jung believed that disharmony between the unconscious and the conscious mind could lead to psychological problems.
“But no matter how much the parents and grandparents may have sinned against the child, the man who is really adult will accept these sins as his own condition which has to be reckoned with. Only a fool is interested in other people’s guilt, since he cannot alter it. The wise man learns only from his own guilt.”
Finding your archetype
Carl Jung for a strong believer that archetypes are more than just personalities but a universal symbols or patterns of behaviour that are passed down from generations after generations and that they are present in the collective unconscious. Finding your archetype can tell a lot about the kind of person you are.
For example, a person with persona archetype is likely to be an extrovert who can fit in with the surroundings. They can adapt to the world and the society.
In order to understand yourself better, Jung tells your to:
- Analyse your dreams: Dreams are a gateway to know what your unconsious mind has to tell you. They can reveal important insights about your personality and your psyche. It would be good to keep a dream journal and take notes. Be mindful of the recurring images your see or any pattern. Reflect on what these symbols might mean and how they relate to the archetypes.
- Reflect on your emotions: Each archetype focuses on emotions and also the emotional response to different situations in your life. For example, if you frequently feel angry or frustrated, this may be a sign that the shadow archetype is prominent in your psyche.
- Explore your creative impulses: Jung believed that creativity was an expression of the unconscious and that by tapping into our creative energy, we can gain a deeper understanding of our inner world. Explore your artistic and creative talents, and consider how these activities make you feel. This can give you insight into which archetypes are most active in your psyche.
- Seek guidance from a therapist or counsellor: A trained therapist or counsellor can help you explore your psyche and identify which archetypes are most present in your personality. They can use techniques such as dream analysis, active imagination, and other forms of psychotherapy to help you gain a deeper understanding of your inner world.
- Take an online quiz or self-assessment: While online quizzes and self-assessments are not a substitute for professional guidance, they can be a useful starting point for exploring your personality and the archetypes that are most present in your psyche. There are several quizzes and assessments available online that can help you identify which archetypes are most active in your personality.
Knowing your archetype is more about understanding your journey and see where it takes you. It helps you understand your emotions and build a deeper, meaningful connection with yourself. You should be patient in your approach and learn to be more accepting. By gaining a deeper understanding of your archetypes, you can gain insight into your personality, motivations, and behaviours, and ultimately, work towards becoming a more authentic and self-aware individual.
