Last year I decided that it was time for me to become knowledgeable about archetypes. After all, together with the concept of psychological type, archetypes are what Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist Carl Jung (1875 - 1961) was best known for. But while I hold a handful of certifications in assessments based on psychological type, I knew nothing about archetypes. So I set a goal to learn about archetypes in 2015 and found the book What Story Are You Living?, by Carol S. Pearson and Hugh K. Marr, to be a very interesting and helpful companion on my journey.
Pearson and Marr are the authors of the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator(R) assessment, two self-scorable copies of which are found at the beginning of this book. Two subtitles, A Guide to Interpreting Results from the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator(R) Assessment, and A self-improvement guide for discovering the unconscious influences that drive your life story, give a good picture of what is covered here. The subtitles also let us know that both professionals and laypeople can benefit from reading and working through this challenging workbook.
Awakening the Heroes Within. She wanted to develop an assessment which, like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator(R) tool, would contribute to people's understanding of themselves and others by helping them "...recognize the archetypal stories that are present in their lives." Psychologist Hugh Marr joined her in developing the assessment and made it the focus of his doctoral dissertation.
What Story Are You Living? then describes the stages of what is known as the Hero's Journey including which archetypes are most helpful at each stage. The first half of the book concludes with a chapter on using archetypes with others, as well as brief chapters on the ethical use of the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator(R) and frequently asked questions. The descriptions of the archetypes fill the second half of this 166 page, 8 1/2" x 11" book, which concludes with resources, references, an index and biographies of the authors. There are also plenty of blank pages for note taking throughout the book.
The 12 archetypes covered in this workbook are the Innocent, Orphan, Warrior, Caregiver, Seeker, Lover, Destroyer, Creator, Ruler, Magician, Sage and Jester. They are compared
to computer software that helps you to accomplish certain tasks...Similarly, the Warrior helps people be more focused, disciplined and tough; the Lover helps them be more passionate, intimate and loving; while the Jester helps them lighten up and enjoy their lives. When a particular archetype is awakened, you live out its story (p. 14 - 15).
Like those on the MBTI personality assessment, all validated PMAI(R) results are good and healthy. No archetype is considered better or worse, more or less desirable than another. All 12 archetypes are present in each of us, just as all eight personality preferences described by the MBTI instrument are present in each of us. However, while our MBTI personality preferences generally don't change, our archetypes do change to reflect our current stage of life, though one or two of them may remain with us. Therefore the authors recommend in the preface that "By taking the PMAI(R) assessment every six months to a year and tracking the changes in the stories you are living, you can keep current with your own growth and development."
While all archetypes are good, they can indicate problems if the archetypes most active in our lives don't really interest us (am I living the story I most want to live?) or they fail to reflect where we are in life. For example, a soldier being deployed would find it more appropriate to live the Warrior archetype than the Lover, while the reverse would be true upon returning to his or her family. There are steps we can take to bring to life the stories we would prefer to be living. In addition, What Story Are You Living? discusses each archetype's shadow side.
Our most active archetypes are presumably those on which we receive the highest scores on the PMAI(R). assessment. However, as with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator tool, there is a validation process which must be gone through to make sure our results are accurate. Regardless of our results on the assessment, and though others may help us, we are the ultimate judge of which archetypes are most active in our lives.
The validation process recommended by Pearson and Marr seems a bit daunting to me, in contrast to the MBTI tool's validation process which can be as simple as reading through a few type descriptions with the certified practitioner who administered the MBTI assessment to us, to see which sound the most like us. Understanding our PMAI(R) results is more complicated. Thus the PMAI(R) validation process, at least for those who are using What Story Are You Living?, involves working through the questions in the third chapter which is 27 pages long.
I have to admit I did not enjoy this part of the process of learning about archetypes. This was partly due to the time involved and because it seemed unnecessary since it's obvious which archetype or two have been the most active in my life. Some of the questions Pearson and Marr ask sound like something a counselor or therapist might ask, and could be rather painful to dwell on. Some of the questions also went a bit far back for me to easily recall the answers. Although I wouldn't mind retaking the PMAI(R) assessment once or twice per year as recommended, and giving some thought to these questions now and then, I would not relish the thought of repeating the whole lengthy and deep validation process the authors suggest.
Some form of validation is necessary, however, if only reading or skimming through all the archetype descriptions each year. My highest score on the PMAI(R) tool was a tie between four archetypes, but reading all their descriptions allowed me to identify the two which seem to have been the most active throughout my life. Of the other two, one seems to be more of a reflection of what I wish to be than what I really am, and one doesn't sound like me at all in my present stage of life.
The knowledge we gain through learning about archetypes gives us insight not only into ourselves but others as well. Chapter 5 of What Story Are You Living? lists several exercises which can be done in groups, for purposes ranging from getting acquainted to solving problems. Among the additional applications with which the chapter concludes on p. 71, the ones which fascinate me the most are listed under the heading Spiritual Development. According to these explanations, archetypes can be used in Christian Bible study and spiritual enrichment; Jewish studies of the Hebrew scriptures and traditions; in Buddhism and other meditative traditions; and in any spiritual tradition. The list of uses for archetypes continues with the headings Study Groups; Role-Playing and Acting; Dancing and Movement; Other Artistic Expressions; Social and Political Action; and Transition to Retirement.
This review only touches the tip of the iceberg of what archetypes are and do, and what we can learn about them from What Story Are You Living? I'm thankful that I've achieved my goal of learning about archetypes in 2015 and that I took What Story Are You Living? along to guide and accompany me on my journey. I'm looking forward to reading more books about archetypes soon!