How Carl Jung Helped Me Find My Inner Pirate: Part 2

This is part 2 in my series "How Carl Jung Helped Me Find My Inner Pirate". In part1 we discover that our Instincts and dispositions are found in the deepest level of the psyche. These instincts are known as Archetypes. So let's begin part 2 by breaking down what archetypes are and how they impact our behavior.

Archetypes are dispositions, traits and instincts which form our personality. I have a tendency to act a certain way depending on my disposition. For example, I have a tendency to make people laugh even in tense situations.

Have you ever heard a person say "I tend to procrastinate" or "I tend to be shy around strangers? This tendency comes from our archetypes which compel us to act a certain way. I am unaware of my archetypes because they are just below the radar-outside of my awareness. I just react instinctively without thinking it through. But I could bring them to my awareness attaching them to an image or a figure that I identify with. I see beauty in a princess or bravery in a prince.

Carl identified these images as archetypical images. The archetype is only a pattern of human traits we all share-not the real thing. One of Carl's images was The
Hero. In the Hero I see traits such as courage, discipline and strength and from these traits the hero act accordingly.

Batman and the Joker

My friend Allan and I usually begin conversations with the phrase "pull my finger." That's how deep we get. But there are times when we talk about the finer things of life like Batman the Dark Knight-the movie. What really animated our water cooler conversation this time was the confrontation between Batman and the Joker. Batman was the image of good. The Joker was the image of evil. Batman's instincts were towards good. The Joker's instincts were towards evil. Batman and the Joker personified two human instincts. These unseen instincts were brought to my awareness through these two characters.

When we were young and even now there are certain characters or figures that intrigue us. Why? Because they symbolize certain traits that we have and this brings me back to my fascination with the pirate. I have certain traits and instincts in me that are seen through the image of the pirate-of course the good qualities such an adventurous spirit, a self determination and a strong will.

Full Circle back to the Pirate

For me it was the Pirate for you it may be the Princess. Almost every woman I know believes she is a princess. I have two friends who are sisters. They each believe they are the princess. One time there was a tense standoff between the two princesses. It was something to behold. It finally resolved but I was thinking it would have made a great Ultimate Cage Fight match.

Carl Jung helped me discover that my interest in pirates was a way of tapping into my unseen traits. This helped me become aware of my true personality. When I bring my unseen traits to my awareness the more authentic I become. This is the first step on the road of self awareness. Carl Jung believed "it is only possible to live the fullest life when we are in harmony with these symbols-wisdom is a return to them." 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungian_archetypes

In the next post we will take a look at certain personality traits Carl developed. These traits form the Meyers Briggs personality test.

What images in your life have you related to? How would you describe their dispositions or traits?