Archetype
So now we have a better understanding of what is going on. Right now I am going to further discuss the concept of the Archetype. I think the best way to do this is to start with the definitions provided at http://dictionary.com :
–noun
| 1. | the original pattern or model from which all things of the same kind are copied or on which they are based; a model or first form; prototype. |
| 2. | (in Jungian psychology) a collectively inherited unconscious idea, pattern of thought, image, etc., universally present in individual psyches. |
We will start with an analogy for number 1. Take an apple. Clear your mind for a second, close your eyes if you have to and think of an apple. What color is it? Shape? Taste? Does it have a wormhole in it? A little green leaf on top with a stem? Where do the boundaries end?
If you told me this apple is 6 stories tall, neon pink and tastes like chicken I may not believe this exists, but you are still describing an apple to me. Likewise if I gave you a phrase “Tastes like the moon” . This is a valid phrase and is understood. The only thing is. I have not tasted the moon recently.
Now here is your next challenge. Take a person or better yet a computer and describe an apple to them. Then put a 6 story neon pink apple that tastes like chicken in front of them and ask them what it is. I cant guarantee they will figure it out. This will all depend on what language you used to describe it an how concise you were in the description. Basically an archetype is a template. Such templates exist for everything. Carl Jung theorized some of these templates were intrinsic to the human psyche. A list of these are linked in one of my previous posts:
Which brings us to definition number 2.
