There are many interpretations and beliefs regarding what the human psyche is. This is something people spent their lives pondering over, but one of the most convincing theories so far is one by a psychologist named Carl Jung.
The theory talks about the human psyche consisting of four archetypes, the persona, the anima/animus, the shadow and the self.
The persona is the first archetype and it’s the outward face we out on to present to the world, it’s described as a conformity archetype that surrounds humans putting on characters best fit to match a certain standard of living.
The psyche of a woman contains masculine aspects, called the ‘animus’ archetype, and the psyche of a man contains feminine aspects called the ‘anima’ archetype. These are the results of humans living together, they’re sides of ourselves that aren’t as obvious because of how society encourages people to hide these sides of themselves. However, according to Jung, he believed that if the anima/animus functioned properly, they would act as a bridge between the collective unconscious and the personal unconscious. The personal unconscious is all the knowledge present in a human mind that isn’t available for the conscious mind to access.
The shadow consists of all the qualities we don’t like about ourselves, it’s heavily influenced by the collective unconscious which is the inherited collection of knowledge and images that humans have had since birth. This is the most accessible to the conscious mind, which is why people tend to turn to their shadow when they feel the need to defend themselves. The shadow is a survival method people can fall back on.
The final archetype is the self. It’s the sum of the psyche, it embraces the conscious and unconscious sides of ourselves. It’s considered one of, if not the most important archetype, since it sums up everything we are, were and will eventually become.
Whether or not Jung’s theory is just another example of pseudo-philosophy, his theory is still deemed as one of the most reliable interpretations on the human psyche considering how complicated and diverse human minds can be.
- Sarah Al-karam
