How psychology can help you write better

 

Have you ever wondered what characters appeal to readers? What about the kind of characters people can relate to?

Some psychologists, especially Carl Jung, postulated that we all share a collective unconsciousness. This is the reason why there are some universal icons, symbols and dreams that are easily recognizable to everyone. Carl G. Jung (1875-1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and founder of analytical psychology.

Sigmund Freud considered Jung his successor in the advancement in psychoanalysis. Freud and Jung parted ways over different philosophies. Nevertheless, Jung’s contributions to psychology included the concept of Archetype, Collective Unconsciousness and his Theory of Synchronicity.

Under analytical psychology, Archetypes are a model of a personality or person. The Archetypes serve as a universal prototype of ideas to describe distinctive and to unconsciously recognize characteristics, motivations and behaviors. While there are many Archetypes, Jung emphasized four major ones: the Self , the Shadow, the Anima, and the Animus.

The Reader’s Archetypes

The Self refers to the whole personality, a self containing perspective like a Tibetan mandala. Readers are compelled by this type of archetype because they see themselves as the main character; it is their center psyche .

The Shadow is the mysterious, and most disagreeable part of the self. Readers may see the shadow as a dark part of themselves. The constant evaluation of the actions in the story and the probability of them doing the same act, the shadow is what keeps them intrigued.

The Amina and Aminus are the male and female representation in one’s psyche. This representation brings a sense of balance to each person.

Other notable Archetypes include:

• The Hero which may not necessarily can be the protagonist.
• The Wise Old Man which usually is a source of knowledge that can help the protagonist.
• The Trickster serves as a deterrent to the plans of the main character.
• The Child is the playful and pleasure-seeking persona.

How does it help me?

As a writer, understanding these concepts can help create appealing characters. Based on Analytical psychology, these concepts are universal. As readers, there has to be a reason for us to follow a character through the story. For example, in the 1977 movie “Star Wars”, Jung’s archetypes are represented in each of the main characters. The Self represented by Luke Skywalker, which is also the Hero. Darth Vader represents the Shadow, Princess Leia represents the Anima, Han Solo the Animus and Obi-Wan Kenobi is the Wise Old Man.

Many new theories of storytelling, such as Dramatica, have incorporated in some way some of the Archetypes. Additionally, these Archetypes can be seen in many forms of literature and motion pictures. From Shakespeare’s Hamlet, to the movie “The Matrix”, archetypes can be found.

Could you find any Archetypes in your favorite movie or story? Post your comments or thoughts.

A note from the Author: “Hi! My name is Roberto and I live in Miami, Florida. Currently, I’m  finishing my Doctoral degree in Psychology and have a full-time job like everyone else. I have a passion for all things related to psychology and how they help us interact with our everyday world. I believe that the more we know about ourselves and the world around us, the more we will enjoy life. I have always been curious about the way we do things or react to situations. Even the most mundane things in our lives, I find interesting. That is why I write, to share that view with you.” Visit Roberto at Psychbits.

Leave a Reply