The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious

Jung shifts his attention from the Great Mother archetype to the Child archetype. He begins by reiterating his main concepts thus far, including that dreams are an important realm in which psychoses and mythological visions of archetypes emerge. They give insight into the experiences of both the personal and collective unconscious. He then argues that the pervasiveness of archetypes in different cultures, including that of the Child archetype, provides proof of the existence of the collective unconscious. For any individual, archetypes appear involuntarily, shaping both personal experience and mythological forms.

Jung declares that the unconscious realm is of great value to psychological study. The products of unconscious activity are visual representations that come in two forms: fantasies (including dreams) that are either personal or impersonal. The former is related directly to personal experience, while the latter derives from the deeper collective unconscious. The product of the collective unconscious is the archetype, and archetypes apply both positive and negative impacts on the psyche simultaneously and with great force. Jung says that “Archetypes were, and still are, living psychic forces that demand to be taken seriously” (157). The meaning of archetypes is complex, incorporating dualities into one vision of wholeness.