What did psychologist Carl Jung develop?

Psychologist Carl Jung developed the concept of the archetype, a central idea in his theory of the collective unconscious. Jung argued that archetypes are recurring patterns or symbolic forms that shape human imagination, dreams, myths, and behavior.

Examples associated with Jung include the Mother, the Hero, the Shadow, the Persona, and the Anima or Animus. These are not fixed character labels that describe every individual perfectly. Instead, they represent deep patterns that may appear in different forms across cultures, stories, and personal experiences.

Jung’s ideas grew out of his work in psychiatry, his study of mythology and religion, and his early collaboration with Sigmund Freud. He used archetypes to explain why certain images and story patterns seemed to recur across societies. The concept became influential in literature, film studies, religious studies, counseling, and popular psychology.

A common misunderstanding is that Jung invented the word archetype. The term has older philosophical and cultural roots; Jung made it especially important within modern psychology. His broader analytical psychology also included ideas such as the collective unconscious and individuation.