Archetypes are defined as patterns that exist in the human mind that continue over time. These were created by Carl Jung and there is a large list of archetypes he created based on literature and myths from all over the world (Williams, 2018). As I was doing research into archetypes more and all the different types that exist, I found a resource that described all the different types of Heroic Archetypes, which I can relate to many different people I have encountered in my life.
The first archetype that stood out to me was the porto-feminist Hero. It’s basically described as a female hero (HCCFL, n.d.). When I read this, my mind immediately jumped to the heroic pilot Tammie Jo Shults who saved lives on the Southwest airplane that went down a few weeks ago. When the plane engine broke, the pilot remained calm and landed the plane saving everyone but one person (Karimi, 2018). She neglected to do any interviews as well, which leads me to believe she is a true hero. In my opinion, a true hero doesn’t require credit for heroic acts. They just know they were heroes. In the lecture, the archetype “the warrior” was discussed. This is defined as the stereotypical leader, as the warrior attacks, is strong and effective (Williams, 2018). This is exactly what I described above. I believe that pilot who saved the guests onboard that southwest flight was a warrior, a hero, and had a porto-feminist hero archetype. She was a warrior, so to speak. She did not back down in the face of fear. She stood up and was strong. She did not waiver in her strength, and she did what she had to do for herself and the others on that plane. If she was not a warrior, a leader, or was not able to stand up and be strong, the outcome of that situation could have been dire.
The second archetype that stood out to me is defined as “Hero as a Lover.” This archetype is described as pure love; love motivates this hero to complete their tasks (HCCFL, n.d.). This reminds me of my husband. My husband is truly a hero, as he has saved me from the crazy, carefree girl I was before I had kids. He showed me what it meant to grow up and be an adult. Hero’s do not always have to be saving large amounts of people like in superhero movies. They simply just have to be good leaders and help those around them, which is what my husband did for me. I was going through a period of distress, trying to figure out how I was going to complete school and be a good mother, wife, and student. I was overwhelmed as my life seemed to be loosing any hope of consistency I had. In stepped my husband, who regulated my distress, which is a very important part of leadership. A great hero and leader recognizes when their group needs change (in this case, me) but not be overwhelmed by the change themselves, so they can monitor stress and regulate it in their group (Northouse, 2016). Without my husband being the leader he is and loving me as he did, I would not have been able to manage my stress at all. I would have crumbled. But he became the leader I needed and the leader everyone could benefit from. He was a hero as a lover, and rescued me.
It’s easy to identify negative archetypes and leaders when you think about past experiences you have had. However, it’s much harder to look at the positives; what makes a good leader? What archetypes do they possess? Why does this make them a positive influence? I think if everyone can identify the good and the bad traits they possess, they will be able to harness this into becoming a great leader.
References:
Williams, Jason (2018). Description of Psychodynamic Approach. PSYCH 485.