A List of Modern Day Archetypes
The Connection Between Different Archetypes
What is an Archetype?
An archetype is a universal pattern of behavior that, once discovered, can help you better understand yourself and the world around you. Knowing your archetype has the potential to transform your life. Individual archetypes are often grouped into archetypal families, consisting of similar or complementary archetypes. Once you know your archetypes, you begin making more empowered choices that finally fit who you are.
Over time, classic archetypes change to fit modern day society. Hundreds of years ago, the most common archetypes included the hero, the caregiver, the mother, the orphan, the rebel and the sage.
Carl Jung, famed psychologist, created the concept of archetype when he first developed his theory of the human psyche. He believed that universal, mythic characters— known as archetypes—reside within the collective unconscious of every human being.
Archetypes represent fundamental human motifs of our experience in life and they evoke deep emotions that reveal significant information about who we are and why we are here.
Read Archetypes: Who Are You?
Modern Day Archetypes
Because society is not what it was when Carl Jung created the concept of the archetype, the classic archetypes from long ago don't apply to us today. Instead, new archetypes have been created to fit our roles in modern day society. These archetypes include:
- The advocate
- The artist
- The athlete
- The caregiver
- The fashionista
- The intellectual
- The executive
- The rebel
- The spiritual seeker
- The visionary
It is not only possible, but more likely than not that you will find more than one archetype that describes you. Your unique set of archetypes can reveal important information that can help you make decisions, utilize your strengths and avoid pitfalls based on your personality.
Modern Day Archetype List for Females and Males
Which Popular Archetype are You?
How to Discover Your Own Archetypes
So now you are probably asking yourself, "how do I know which archetypes fit me?" Your archetypes can be identified through your life stories, your patterns, your behaviors, your fears and your talents. What would you say is "typical" for you? How would other people describe you?
With practice, you can develop an "archetypal eye" - an ability to detach yourself so that you can observe your own behavior patterns and learn to utilize your strengths and talents better. This will allow you to find your archetypal family.
An archetypal family is a group of core archetypes that share a power theme. The Caring Family, for example, unites archetypes that express love and nurturing. This includes the caregiver, the mother, the nurturer, the rescuer and the teacher.
A Book for Men Looking for Their Unique Archetypes
The Advocate Archetype
The archetype of The Advocate describes a person who is consistently striving to improve themselves. They are advocates for themselves, as well as others, and they are dedicated to social, political and environmental transformation. They are committed to advancing humanitarian causes and they speak out for those who feel they have no voice. They fight for human rights and environmental protection. Their defining grace is their constant hope to make positive change.
The life journey of the advocate is to be a conscious agent for positive change. The male counterparts of this female archetype include the social activist and the health soldier. The advocate believes that others need to appreciate the value of her work.
Are You a Caregiver or a Rebel?
Are You a Fashionista or a Spiritual Seeker?
The Artist Archetype
The archetype of The Artist sees beauty everywhere and possesses a creativity often expressed through music, painting or dance. This person may be a wallflower at times, they come alive in front of an audience. She commits wholeheartedly to realizing her full creative potential.
Other words to describe this archetype include performer and storyteller. Her life journey is to cultivate the imagination and explore endless ways of expressing her creativity. The artist's weakness is her fear of being ordinary or unacknowledged for her talents. Her male counterparts include the yin/yang archetype, which balances masculine and feminine energies.
The Athlete Archetype
The Athlete archetype takes great pride in their physical fitness and personal appearance. She plays fair but thoroughly enjoys competition. The athlete appreciates activities like yoga that strengthen the body and the mind just as much as she enjoys more physical sports like running and cycling. She enjoys socializing with other athletes and engaging in activities that push her physically. Her defining grace is her endurance.
Male counterparts of this archetype include the male athlete and the thrill seeker. The life journey of the female athlete is to experience life through the power and stamina of the physical body.
The Caregiver Archetype
The archetype of The Caregiver describes a person who never turns someone down who needs help and views helping others as her life calling. She often pursues a profession that allows her to help others. Her down-flaw is that she always puts others before herself and ignores her own needs so she can worry about the needs of others. Her defining grace is her compassion and her
The life journey of the caregiver is to care for others in ways they are unable to care for themselves. Her male counterpart is the yin/yang archetype.
The Executive Archetype
The archetype of The Executive defines a woman who takes charge of situations and commands center stage with little to no effort. Her defining grace is her generosity and her weakness is her lack of ability to take direction and work under someone else. Her male counterpart is the king and she belongs to the royal archetype family.
The Fashionista Archetype
The archetype of The Fashionista describes a woman who loves fashion, setting trends, and helping "non-fashionistas" find their own unique style. She takes a lot of pride in her physical appearance and her defining grace is her exuberance. The male counterpart for the fashionista is the gentleman. Her life journey is to pursue a life that is not about appearance, but rather self-empowerment.
A Jungian Guide to Archetypes
Archetype Poll
The Rebel Archetype
The archetype of The Rebel describes a woman who speaks out against discrimination and oppression. She challenges injustices she encounters and lives her life in nontraditional ways. She introduces radically new ideas into society and thrives off of making waves and stirring the pot.
Her journey in life is to break through barriers that restrict the fundamental liberties of the human spirit. With a defining grace of justice, her male counterpart is also the rebel.
Are You an Artist or an Executive?
The Spiritual Seeker Archetype
The Spiritual Seeker archetype tends to love nature and wants more out of life than material happiness and success. She gives priority to spiritual understanding and searches for the true meaning and purpose of her life. Her male counterpart is also the spiritual seeker. Believing that the truth will set her free, her journey in life is to become a spiritually congruent human being.
The Visionary Archetype
The Visionary Archetype describes a woman who breaks free of traditional expectations and rules, acting as an agent of change. She looks at her future and sees great possibility in what can become of her and the world around her. She is often called an innovator and a pioneer. Her male counterpart is the visionary, just like herself, and her defining grace is her courage.
Comments
Ryan Strasser on February 27, 2020:
None of these relate to a woman - none relate to a man. Valid archetypes involve an existential base: i.e. fool/Genius, herein, only a fool can become a Genius, and a Genius is a fool who has overcome making the mistakes of a fool. What you have here is something closer to astrology. Secular astrology if you will.
Nina Chroni from Florida on April 10, 2014:
This is really awesome. It amazes me that when I first got married 14 years ago I was the caregiver, and advocate. Now I am much more the visionary and spiritual seeker. I am intrigued, and must look further into this! Thank you for sharing, I voted up.
Kathleen Odenthal (author) from Bridgewater on April 08, 2014:
i think we all go through different stages where we fit different archetypes. You are totally right, life is cyclic and constantly changing, so are we. i think the heart of every archetype comes back to knowing who you are, finding your true identity that allows you to live happily
Jean Bakula from New Jersey on April 08, 2014:
I love Caroline Myss and had a lot of fun with this book. I read her first one about archetypes about 5 years ago, and believe they change. My husband of 34 years died, and I find my life has changed in almost every area. It is fun to see how we grow spiritually.
Tolovaj on April 06, 2014:
If we learn about archetypes life would be much easier. Well done!
Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on April 03, 2014:
Well obviously I couldn't vote, but I did find this interesting.
Cherylann Mollan from India on April 02, 2014:
Very interesting hub. I think I found my archetypes. :) Wish you would post an article on the kind of guy every archetype should be with too, as I'm really having a really hard time with that. :D But, jokes apart, I think this concept of archetypes is very true and if you pay enough attention to a person's actions or behavior, you can slot them into certain archetypes. Nice work here!
