Although we attribute the development of modern archetypal theory to Carl Jung, archetypes are not a modern framework. They’ve been used across many cultures, religions, and philosophical traditions for centuries.

Jung studied these traditions along with anthropology, mythology, and indigenous storytelling to develop his theory of archetypes. His work is often dismissed, because in applying these rich and varied cultural traditions, it leans toward mysticism (which is honestly what I love most about it). As the founder of analytical psychology, he concluded that recurring personas represent something deeper than culture. They represent patterns embedded in the human psyche, and with that, introduced the idea of the collective unconscious.

Since Jung, many have expanded the theory into different frameworks. Joseph Campbell’s The Hero’s Journey, Maureen Murdock’s The Heroine’s Journey, Carol Pearson, Margaret Mark, Jean Shinoda Bolen, Isabel Allende and Dr. Clarissa Pinkola Estés, to name a few, have used archetypal frameworks in storytelling, personal development, and branding.