Noun

Singular archetype

Plural archetypes

archetype (plural archetypes)

1. An original model of which all other similar persons, objects, or concepts are merely derivative, copied, patterned, or emulated; a prototype
2. (usage conflict) A person, story, concept, or object that is based on a known archetype; an archetypal character.
3. An ideal example of something; a quintessence.
4. (psychology) According to the Swiss psychologist Carl Jung, a universal pattern of thought, present in an individual's unconscious, inherited from the past collective experience of humanity.

An archetype (pronounced /ˈɑrkɪtaɪp/) is an original model of a person, ideal example, or a prototype after which others are copied, patterned, or emulated; a symbol universally recognized by all. In psychology, an archetype is a model of a person, personality, or behavior.

In the analysis of personality, the term archetype is often broadly used to refer to

1. a stereotype—personality type observed multiple times, especially an oversimplification of such a type; or
2. an epitome—personality type exemplified, especially the "greatest" such example.
3. a literary term to express details.

Archetype refers to a generic version of a personality. In this sense "mother figure" may be considered an archetype and may be identified in various characters with otherwise distinct (non-generic) personalities.

Archetypes are likewise supposed to have been present in folklore and literature for thousands of years, including prehistoric artwork. The use of archetypes to illuminate personality and literature was advanced by Carl Jung early in the 20th century, who suggested the existence of universal contentless forms that channel experiences and emotions, resulting in recognisable and typical patterns of behaviour with certain probable outcomes. ("A Critical Dictionary of Jungian Analysis," Samuels, Shorter and Plaut) Thus, in fictional narratives, it is assumed characters with strong archetypal features will automatically and unconsciously resonate with a large audience.

Archetypes are cited as important to both ancient mythology and modern narratives, as argued by Joseph Campbell in works such as The Hero With a Thousand Faces. A number of cinematic and dramatic formulae have been devised based on these notions, including books like Carol S. Pearson's The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By. Such formula typically describe fixed categories into which a work may fall, or narrative stages guided by archetypal figures. A more helpful text is Allan G. Hunter's Stories We Need to Know which locates six archetypes firmly in the repeated forms seen in the western Canon's literature from Homer onwards.