Child (archetype)
Encyclopedia
The Child archetype
, is an important Jungian archetype
in Jungian psychology, first suggested by Swiss psychologist
, Carl Jung
. Recently, author Caroline Myss
suggested Child, amongst four the Survival Archetypes (Victim, Prostitute, and Saboteur), present in all of us. It ranges from "childish to childlike longing for the innocent, regardless of age", as mentioned in her work, Sacred Contracts, which talk of the presence many aspects of the Child archetype, ranging from the Wounded Child, Abandoned or Orphan Child, Dependent Child, Magical/Innocent Child, Nature Child, to the Divine Child and Eternal Child
process'. Jungians exploring the hero
myth have noted that 'over and over again one hears a tale describing the hero's miraculous but humble birth', and have considered that '"it represents our efforts to deal with the problem of growing up, aided by the illusion of an eternal fiction"'. Thus for Jung, '"the child is potential future"', with the archetype 'symbolising the whole personality in its development from primordial unconsciousness to ego consciousness to self'.
Others have warned however of the dangers posed to the parents by 'the "archetype of the Divine Child"...an emotional pull toward imagining an extraordinary potential contained in the infant'. Where this becomes too strong, 'the child is co-opted into an arrangement whereby he or she is to provide the parents with a certain magic...the Divine Child'. The growing child 'caught up in the complex [as] adult believes that she or he is especially wonderful, as wonderful as an idealized child...unable to see the problems with feeling like the king - superior, special, or unique'.
Even where impacting less acutely, the archetype may produce 'a man who remains too long in adolescent psychology, generally associated with a strong unconscious attachment to the mother (actual or symbolic). Positive traits are spontaneity and openness to change'; negative, the emergence of a 'superficially entrancing but basically immature child-man who is incapable of commitment or generativity...an identification with the Divine Child, Mama's darling'. His 'female counterpart is the puella, an "eternal girl" with a corresponding attachment to the father-world'.
- with the man who 'violently sundered himself from his original character in the interests of some arbitrary persona more in keeping with his ambitions. He has thus become unchildlike and artificial, and has lost his roots'. Some remedy can be provided by the way 'the "child" archetype has a central part to play in assuaging the fear of loss of connection with the past': in its retrospective aspect, 'one of the functions of the child archetype is to recall the experiences and emotions of childhood' to the adult mind.
Conversely, however, in its prospective role, 'for Jung the child archetype was a living symbol of future potentialities that bring balance, unity, and vitality to the conscious personality' - so that 'the mythic child symbolizes the lifelong process of psychological maturation'.
).
More generally, 'the child star can be conceptualized as a modern manifestation of the ancient archetype of the wonder-child'.
Archetype
An archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
, is an important Jungian archetype
Jungian archetypes
Carl Jung created the archetypes which “are ancient or archaic images that derive from the collective unconscious” Also known as innate universal psychic dispositions that form the substrate from which the basic symbols or representations of unconscious experience emerge...
in Jungian psychology, first suggested by Swiss psychologist
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
, Carl Jung
Carl Jung
Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychiatrist and the founder of Analytical Psychology. Jung is considered the first modern psychiatrist to view the human psyche as "by nature religious" and make it the focus of exploration. Jung is one of the best known researchers in the field of dream analysis and...
. Recently, author Caroline Myss
Caroline Myss
Caroline Myss is an American medical intuitive and mystic as well as the author of numerous books and audio tapes, including five New York Times Best Sellers: Anatomy of the Spirit , Why People Don't Heal and How They Can , Sacred Contracts , "Invisible Acts of Power" , and Entering The Castle...
suggested Child, amongst four the Survival Archetypes (Victim, Prostitute, and Saboteur), present in all of us. It ranges from "childish to childlike longing for the innocent, regardless of age", as mentioned in her work, Sacred Contracts, which talk of the presence many aspects of the Child archetype, ranging from the Wounded Child, Abandoned or Orphan Child, Dependent Child, Magical/Innocent Child, Nature Child, to the Divine Child and Eternal Child
Jungians
Jung placed 'the child (including the child hero)' in a list of archetypes incorporating 'the chief among them...like milestones of the individuationIndividuation
Individuation is a concept which appears in numerous fields and may be encountered in work by Arthur Schopenhauer, Carl Jung, Gilbert Simondon, Bernard Stiegler, Gilles Deleuze, Henri Bergson, David Bohm, and Manuel De Landa...
process'. Jungians exploring the hero
Hero
A hero , in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion...
myth have noted that 'over and over again one hears a tale describing the hero's miraculous but humble birth', and have considered that '"it represents our efforts to deal with the problem of growing up, aided by the illusion of an eternal fiction"'. Thus for Jung, '"the child is potential future"', with the archetype 'symbolising the whole personality in its development from primordial unconsciousness to ego consciousness to self'.
Others have warned however of the dangers posed to the parents by 'the "archetype of the Divine Child"...an emotional pull toward imagining an extraordinary potential contained in the infant'. Where this becomes too strong, 'the child is co-opted into an arrangement whereby he or she is to provide the parents with a certain magic...the Divine Child'. The growing child 'caught up in the complex [as] adult believes that she or he is especially wonderful, as wonderful as an idealized child...unable to see the problems with feeling like the king - superior, special, or unique'.
Even where impacting less acutely, the archetype may produce 'a man who remains too long in adolescent psychology, generally associated with a strong unconscious attachment to the mother (actual or symbolic). Positive traits are spontaneity and openness to change'; negative, the emergence of a 'superficially entrancing but basically immature child-man who is incapable of commitment or generativity...an identification with the Divine Child, Mama's darling'. His 'female counterpart is the puella, an "eternal girl" with a corresponding attachment to the father-world'.
Prospective and retrospective
Jung was always concerned with the possibility of one's over-identification with the personaPersona (psychology)
The Persona, for Jung, was the social face the individual presented to the world - 'a kind of mask, designed on the one hand to make a definite impression upon others, and on the other to conceal the true nature of the individual'....
- with the man who 'violently sundered himself from his original character in the interests of some arbitrary persona more in keeping with his ambitions. He has thus become unchildlike and artificial, and has lost his roots'. Some remedy can be provided by the way 'the "child" archetype has a central part to play in assuaging the fear of loss of connection with the past': in its retrospective aspect, 'one of the functions of the child archetype is to recall the experiences and emotions of childhood' to the adult mind.
Conversely, however, in its prospective role, 'for Jung the child archetype was a living symbol of future potentialities that bring balance, unity, and vitality to the conscious personality' - so that 'the mythic child symbolizes the lifelong process of psychological maturation'.
In literature and media
The child archetype is portrayed in literature in various ways. It can take the form of a child who displays adult-like qualities giving, for example, wise advice to their friends or vice-versa (like the character Raymond in the film Rain ManRain Man
Rain Man is a 1988 drama film written by Barry Morrow and Ronald Bass and directed by Barry Levinson. It tells the story of an abrasive and selfish yuppie, Charlie Babbitt, who discovers that his estranged father has died and bequeathed all of his multimillion-dollar estate to his other son,...
).
More generally, 'the child star can be conceptualized as a modern manifestation of the ancient archetype of the wonder-child'.
Examples
See also
Further reading
- Sacred Contracts: Awakening Your Divine Potential, by Caroline Myss; ISBN 978-0609810118.
- Abstracts of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Ed. Carrie L. Rothgeb, National Clearinghouse for Mental Health Information (U.S.). Karnac Books, 1994. ISBN 185575035X, ISBN 9781855750357.
- Karl KerenyiKarl KerényiKároly Kerényi was a Hungarian scholar in classical philology, one of the founders of modern studies in Greek mythology.- Hungary 1897–1943 :...
: Eleusis: Archetypal Image of Mother and Daughter, 1960, in English 1967 - Stevens, Anthony in The Archetypes (Chapter 3.) Ed. Papadopoulos, Renos The Handbook of Jungian Psychology (2006).
- Jung, C. G. (1934–1954), "The Psychology of the Child Archetype", in The Archetypes and The Collective Unconscious, Collected Works, 9 (2 ed.), Princeton, NJ: Bollingen, 1981, ISBN 0-691-01833-2.
- 1951 Introduction to a Science of Mythology. The Myth of the Divine Child and the Mysteries of Eleusis (In collaboration with Karl KerényiKarl KerényiKároly Kerényi was a Hungarian scholar in classical philology, one of the founders of modern studies in Greek mythology.- Hungary 1897–1943 :...
)
- 1951 Introduction to a Science of Mythology. The Myth of the Divine Child and the Mysteries of Eleusis (In collaboration with Karl Kerényi