Many anthropologists and sociologists believe that Archetypes have been present in folklore and literature for thousands of years, including in prehistoric cave art. Jung’s work defined archetypes as the existence of universal abstract forms that channel human experiences and emotions. These abstract forms resulted in recognizable and typical patterns of behavior with certain probable outcomes. Archetypes are the cornerstone in both ancient mythology and modern stories including film (think of the characters in Star Wars).
Jung and Dream Analysis
Jung proposed two basic approaches to analyzing dream material: the objective and the subjective. In objective dream analysis, every person in the dream refers to the person they are in someone’s life mother is mother, brother is brother, etc. In subjective dream analysis, every person in the dream represents an aspect of the dreamer, usually the ego. Jung argued that the subjective approach is much more difficult for the dreamer to accept, but that in most good dream-work, the dreamer will come to recognize that the dream characters can represent unacknowledged aspects of their ego. If the dreamer is being chased by a crazed killer, the dreamer may come eventually to recognize his own self-anger or need to strike out at others. This indicates that the killer is a deeply denied part of the dreamer’s ego. This is not intended to frighten the dreamer, but can be the first step towards deeper understanding of life and the situations in one’s life. This understanding also fit the Jungian ideas of archetypes.