Universal, inherited patterns or images in Jung's collective unconscious that influence human behavior and experience. These include figures like the Mother, Hero, Shadow, and Wise Old Man that appear across cultures in myths, dreams, and stories.
From Greek 'archetypos' meaning 'original pattern' or 'model,' literally 'first-molded.' Jung borrowed this term from philosophy, where Plato used it to describe perfect, eternal forms that earthly things imperfectly copy.
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