Archetypes represent universal patterns of human behavior and can help you better understand your motivations, strengths, and challenges.
Knowing your archetype helps you with a personalized lens/framework to approach life, relationships, and career, helping you live and work more intentionally.
Understanding your archetype helps solve problems of misalignment, indecision, and disconnection by providing clarity, direction, and a framework for personal and professional growth.
In other words, an archetype is a shortcut to knowing yourself. 🙂
A few resources I am looking into (and you can explore) to discover your archetype:
- “Go Within” by Carol Pearson is a guide to self-discovery through the lens of the 12 archetypes.
- Jordan Peterson talks about archetypes a lot (be careful though, he’s quite…heady and verbose)
Let’s look at Carol Pearson’s archetypes:
Summary of the 12 archetypes form Carol Pearson’s “Go Within”
Here’s a brief summary of each of the 12 archetypes in Carol Pearson’s framework:
- Innocent: Optimistic and trusting, seeks safety and happiness, often avoids harsh realities.
- Orphan: Realistic and pragmatic, desires connection and belonging, struggles with feelings of abandonment.
- Warrior: Courageous and focused, strives to overcome obstacles and achieve goals, can struggle with aggression or burnout.
- Caregiver: Compassionate and nurturing, motivated to help others, may neglect their own needs.
- Seeker: Independent and curious, always looking for meaning and self-discovery, can feel restless or unfulfilled.
- Lover: Passionate and empathetic, values relationships and connection, may fear loss or rejection.
- Destroyer: Transformative and bold, willing to let go of the old for growth, can struggle with chaos or loss.
- Creator: Visionary and imaginative, driven to innovate and build, may face perfectionism.
- Ruler: Responsible and organized, seeks control and stability, can become overly authoritarian.
- Magician: Transformational and insightful, aims to make dreams a reality, may misuse power or influence.
- Sage: Wise and reflective, seeks knowledge and truth, risks overthinking or detachment.
- Jester: Joyful and playful, brings humor and perspective, may avoid serious issues or commitment.
Which one am I?
The sage. How did I know that? Well I asked ChatGPT which has some good questions to help you pick the archetype that fits (Don’t worry – originally I thought I was the seeker and perhaps sometimes I am – but ultimately I think my motivations and aspirations lie with the Sage). Anyways, your archetype could change based on your goals or life stage too, which can make them tricky.
How do you know what’s your type?
For CHATGPT:
Discovering your archetype involves self-reflection and an exploration of your behaviors, motivations, and core desires. Here are some ways to determine your type:
1. Identify Core Motivations and Values
- What drives you? Are you motivated by a desire to create, connect, protect, explore, or lead?
- For example, a Creator values innovation, while a Caregiver values helping others.
2. Reflect on Your Strengths and Challenges
- What are you naturally good at?
- What do you struggle with? For instance, Sages excel at seeking knowledge but may overanalyze, while Warriors are strong problem-solvers but may struggle with balance.
3. Look at Patterns in Your Behavior
- How do you respond to challenges?
- Seek security (Innocent)?
- Face them head-on (Warrior)?
- Look for deeper meaning (Seeker)?
4. Consider Your Life Stage or Current Focus
- Archetypes can shift based on your life stage or goals. For example, during a transformative period, you might align with the Destroyer, while a nurturing phase might resonate with the Caregiver.
5. Take an Archetype Assessment
- Many tools and quizzes based on Pearson’s framework can help identify your dominant archetype(s).
- These typically ask questions about your preferences, fears, and aspirations.
6. Explore Archetype Descriptions
- As you read descriptions of the archetypes, notice which ones resonate most with your identity, values, and habits.
7. Consult Trusted Feedback
- Sometimes, others see us more clearly. Ask friends or family how they perceive your strengths and motivations.
8. Combine Archetypes
- Most people resonate with more than one archetype, with one or two being dominant and others playing supporting roles.
Next steps
Ask AI these follow up questions for YOUR specific archetype
- “Tell me more about the (insert your hypothesized archetype) archetype”
- “Help me identify how this archetype fits into my life or how it might interact with others?”
- “How do I strengthen my archetype abilities or balance them with other archetypes to align with my goals”
- “Based on my archetype, help me create a tailored action plan for my specific goals.”
Learn more, read the books and watch videos.
Higher quality, trusted sources rather than woo-woo folks tend to better.
Sometimes it’s tough to know what you want, to know what direction to go, and you may hear lots of different advice from people. Each person is unique – how can I suggest you love books or your someone else suggest you love adventure? Which is right or wrong? While people may influence you – ultimately you must know yourself – which helps you to say YES or NO to what matters, and ultimately IMO enables you to trust yourself and make decisions for yourself.
That being said, it’s a bit easier said than done, no? How does one exactly know themselves?
Well, the good news is there are archetypes that can help point the way.
Archetypes represent universal patterns of human behavior and can help you better understand your motivations, strengths, and challenges.
Knowing your archetype helps you with a personalized lens/framework to approach life, relationships, and career, helping you live and work more intentionally.
Understanding your archetype helps solve problems of misalignment, indecision, and disconnection by providing clarity, direction, and a framework for personal and professional growth.
In other words, an archetype is a shortcut to knowing yourself. 🙂
A few resources I am looking into (and you can explore) to discover your archetype:
- “Go Within” by Carol Pearson is a guide to self-discovery through the lens of the 12 archetypes.
- Jordan Peterson talks about archetypes a lot (be careful though, he’s quite…heady and verbose)
Let’s look at Carol Pearson’s archetypes:
Summary of the 12 archetypes form Carol Pearson’s “Go Within”
Here’s a brief summary of each of the 12 archetypes in Carol Pearson’s framework:
- Innocent: Optimistic and trusting, seeks safety and happiness, often avoids harsh realities.
- Orphan: Realistic and pragmatic, desires connection and belonging, struggles with feelings of abandonment.
- Warrior: Courageous and focused, strives to overcome obstacles and achieve goals, can struggle with aggression or burnout.
- Caregiver: Compassionate and nurturing, motivated to help others, may neglect their own needs.
- Seeker: Independent and curious, always looking for meaning and self-discovery, can feel restless or unfulfilled.
- Lover: Passionate and empathetic, values relationships and connection, may fear loss or rejection.
- Destroyer: Transformative and bold, willing to let go of the old for growth, can struggle with chaos or loss.
- Creator: Visionary and imaginative, driven to innovate and build, may face perfectionism.
- Ruler: Responsible and organized, seeks control and stability, can become overly authoritarian.
- Magician: Transformational and insightful, aims to make dreams a reality, may misuse power or influence.
- Sage: Wise and reflective, seeks knowledge and truth, risks overthinking or detachment.
- Jester: Joyful and playful, brings humor and perspective, may avoid serious issues or commitment.
Which one am I?
The sage. How did I know that? Well I asked ChatGPT which has some good questions to help you pick the archetype that fits (Don’t worry – originally I thought I was the seeker and perhaps sometimes I am – but ultimately I think my motivations and aspirations lie with the Sage). Anyways, your archetype could change based on your goals or life stage too, which can make them tricky.
How do you know what’s your type?
For CHATGPT:
Discovering your archetype involves self-reflection and an exploration of your behaviors, motivations, and core desires. Here are some ways to determine your type:
1. Identify Core Motivations and Values
- What drives you? Are you motivated by a desire to create, connect, protect, explore, or lead?
- For example, a Creator values innovation, while a Caregiver values helping others.
2. Reflect on Your Strengths and Challenges
- What are you naturally good at?
- What do you struggle with? For instance, Sages excel at seeking knowledge but may overanalyze, while Warriors are strong problem-solvers but may struggle with balance.
3. Look at Patterns in Your Behavior
- How do you respond to challenges?
- Seek security (Innocent)?
- Face them head-on (Warrior)?
- Look for deeper meaning (Seeker)?
4. Consider Your Life Stage or Current Focus
- Archetypes can shift based on your life stage or goals. For example, during a transformative period, you might align with the Destroyer, while a nurturing phase might resonate with the Caregiver.
5. Take an Archetype Assessment
- Many tools and quizzes based on Pearson’s framework can help identify your dominant archetype(s).
- These typically ask questions about your preferences, fears, and aspirations.
6. Explore Archetype Descriptions
- As you read descriptions of the archetypes, notice which ones resonate most with your identity, values, and habits.
7. Consult Trusted Feedback
- Sometimes, others see us more clearly. Ask friends or family how they perceive your strengths and motivations.
8. Combine Archetypes
- Most people resonate with more than one archetype, with one or two being dominant and others playing supporting roles.
Next steps
Ask AI these follow up questions for YOUR specific archetype
- “Tell me more about the (insert your hypothesized archetype) archetype”
- “Help me identify how this archetype fits into my life or how it might interact with others?”
- “How do I strengthen my archetype abilities or balance them with other archetypes to align with my goals”
- “Based on my archetype, help me create a tailored action plan for my specific goals.”
Learn more, read the books and watch videos.
Higher quality, trusted sources rather than woo-woo folks tend to better.