Background

This set of comic collaborations is Part I of an ongoing Made Collaborative series:  Dreams & The Hero’s Journey.  With this set of comic collaborations, we will be working with youth from an interested after school program to develop three related collaborations described below.  These collaborations will draw upon the “Carl Jung & The Archetypes of the Unconscious Mind” blog, as well as the series introductory blog as reference points, and resulting collaborations will form the bedrock of the collaborative structure and motifs that we will use working with participating youth on future comic collaborations for the Back of the Yards comic series.

The Collaboration Exercises – Part I

1.  Character Archetypes – Compare to Familiar Content

Character archetypes come in handy when you are trying to create new characters or better understand old familiar ones. The Greek origins of the word “archetype” refer to the “original patterns” that make up the collections of familiar motivations and character traits that define the role of a story’s hero, including his or her adversaries and helpers.

When you start thinking in terms of archetypes, it should come as no surprise that you will begin seeing them everywhere: in your favorite TV show and video games, in famous historical figures, among your friends and family, in your dreams, even. This is no coincidence. Carl Jung identified 12 essential archetypes of the subconscious mind that many agree form our essential understanding of our world and the people in it. This is why we can relate so easily to the characters in a well-written story. It’s also why some dreams seem so strikingly real.

Below, Jung’s 12 essential character types are listed. I have provided some details on each archetype to give you a sense of their flavor. I’ve also given some familiar examples of each archetype. And, below that, I invite you to provide some examples of your own. You will work with some of these examples you’ve generated in the next collaboration.

Compare to Familiar Content: For each of the 12 character archetypes below, come up with two-or-three examples of each that you know from history, from familiar works of fiction or from your own life. If you choose, you can also include an original character of your own. You will be working with each of the archetypes when you create your “Hero Cards” next.

Try to think of one you know everybody would get, but also think of one that is especially important or relevant to you

1. The Dreamer

Motto: Free to be you and me
Core desire: to get to paradise
Goal: to be happy
Greatest fear: to be punished for doing something bad or wrong
Strategy: to do things right
Weakness: boring for all their naive innocence
Talent: faith and optimism
The Innocent is also known as: Utopian, traditionalist, naive, mystic, saint, romantic, innocent
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________

2. Everyman
Motto: All men and women are created equal
Core Desire: connecting with others
Goal: to belong
Greatest fear: to be left out or to stand out from the crowd
Strategy: develop ordinary solid virtues, be down to earth, the common touch
Weakness: losing one’s own self in an effort to blend in or for the sake of superficial relationships
Talent: realism, empathy, lack of pretense
The Regular Person is also known as: The good old boy, everyman, the person next door, the realist, the working stiff, the solid citizen, the good neighbor, the silent majority
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________
3. The Hero
Motto: Where there’s a will, there’s a way
Core desire: to prove one’s worth through courageous acts
Goal: expert mastery in a way that improves the world
Greatest fear: weakness, vulnerability, being a “chicken”
Strategy: to be as strong and competent as possible
Weakness: arrogance, always needing another battle to fight
Talent: competence and courage
The Hero is also known as: The warrior, crusader, rescuer, superhero, the soldier, dragon slayer, the winner and the team player
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________
4. The Caregiver
Motto: Love your neighbor as yourself
Core desire: to protect and care for others
Goal: to help others
Greatest fear: selfishness and ingratitude
Strategy: doing things for others
Weakness: martyrdom and being exploited
Talent: compassion, generosity
The Caregiver is also known as: The saint, altruist, parent, helper, supporter
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________
5. The Explorer
Motto: Don’t fence me in
Core desire: the freedom to find out who you are through exploring the world
Goal: to experience a better, more authentic, more fulfilling life
Biggest fear: getting trapped, conformity, and inner emptiness
Strategy: journey, seeking out and experiencing new things, escape from boredom
Weakness: aimless wandering, becoming a misfit
Talent: autonomy, ambition, being true to one’s soul
The explorer is also known as: The seeker, iconoclast, wanderer, individualist, pilgrim
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________
6. The Rebel
Motto: Rules are made to be broken
Core desire: revenge or revolution
Goal: to overturn what isn’t working
Greatest fear: to be powerless or ineffectual
Strategy: disrupt, destroy, or shock
Weakness: crossing over to the dark side, crime
Talent: outrageousness, radical freedom
The Outlaw is also known as: The rebel, revolutionary, wild man, the misfit, or iconoclast
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________
7. The Lover
Motto: You’re the only one
Core desire: intimacy and experience
Goal: being in a relationship with the people, work and surroundings they love
Greatest fear: being alone, a wallflower, unwanted, unloved
Strategy: to become more and more physically and emotionally attractive
Weakness: outward-directed desire to please others at risk of losing own identity
Talent: passion, gratitude, appreciation, and commitment
The Lover is also known as: The partner, friend, intimate, enthusiast, sensualist, spouse, team-builder
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________
8. The Artist
Motto: If you can imagine it, it can be done
Core desire: to create things of enduring value
Goal: to realize a vision
Greatest fear: mediocre vision or execution
Strategy: develop artistic control and skill
Task: to create culture, express own vision
Weakness: perfectionism, bad solutions
Talent: creativity and imagination
The Creator is also known as: The creator, inventor, innovator, musician, writer
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________
9. The Trickster
Motto: You only live once
Core desire: to live in the moment with full enjoyment
Goal: to have a great time and lighten up the world
Greatest fear: being bored or boring others
Strategy: play, make jokes, be funny
Weakness: frivolity, wasting time
Talent: joy
The Jester is also known as: The fool, jester, joker, practical joker or comedian
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________
10. The Mentor
Motto: The truth will set you free
Core desire: to find the truth
Goal: to use intelligence and analysis to understand the world
Biggest fear: being duped, misled or ignorance
Strategy: seeking out information and knowledge; self-reflection and understanding thought processes
Weakness: can study details forever and never act
Talent: wisdom, intelligence
The Sage is also known as: The expert, scholar, detective, advisor, thinker, philosopher, academic, researcher, thinker, planner, professional, sage, teacher, contemplative
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________
11. The Magician
Motto: I make things happen
Core desire: understanding the fundamental laws of the universe
Goal: to make dreams come true
Greatest fear: unintended negative consequences
Strategy: develop a vision and live by it
Weakness: becoming manipulative
Talent: finding win-win solutions
The Magician is also known as: the visionary, catalyst, inventor, charismatic leader, shaman, healer, medicine man
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________
12. The Ruler (Politician)
Motto: Power isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
Core desire: control
Goal: create a prosperous, successful family or community
Strategy: exercise power
Greatest fear: chaos, being overthrown
Weakness: being authoritarian, unable to delegate
Talent: responsibility, leadership
The Ruler is also known as: the boss, leader, aristocrat, king, queen, role model, manager or administrator
Examples:
XXX
XXX
XXX
____________________
____________________
____________________