The Four Universal Archetypes
Find out what archetypes contributed to your own emotional survival as a child on many levels.
Archetypes, their strategies, and the early childhood experience.
Caroline Myss describes four universal archetypes which shaped our behavior early on. Through their behavior strategies, they have helped us feel more secure and in control. When we faced adversity as children, the four universal archetypes came into play.
Our learned behavior, which enabled our survival on multiple levels then, was essential and helpful. As with everything in life, there is a shadow side and a light side. Considering the current challenges we face, it may very well be that those four archetypes that provided us with the means to survive decades ago have now turned into forces that inhibit our personal growth. Their patterns and strategies operate like automatisms that fire whenever we are faced with negative or positive stress.
To better understand how our behavior patterns influence our inner and outer growth, it is necessary to look at the behavioral manifestations of the past.
“The saboteur, the victim, the prostitute, and the inner child in us guide our behaviour and spirits, much as they taught us in childhood that it is best to remain by their side.” Sometimes their influence is so profound that we cannot hear our own intuitive wisdom. The search for meaning and purpose in this life is covered – figuratively speaking – by our own (archetypal) shadows. However, when we become more familiar with our archetypal forces, we will be able to discover their innate light and power.
