Archetypes Are Not…Personality Boxes

Archetypes aren’t meant to label, limit, or box you in. They don’t define who you are. You are not your archetypes. You have archetypes. They reveal patterns within you. Archetypes are more like mirrors. They reflect the different ways your energy, thoughts, emotions, and choices express themselves in life. When you recognise an archetype at play, you’re witnessing one of the many inner patterns that influence how you think, feel, and respond.

As an example, consider the Victim archetype. It’s one of the four archetypes shared by everyone. When you identify too closely with its undeveloped side, you might see yourself as powerless or at the mercy of others. If you believe that label defines you, then the Victim becomes a box, a role you unconsciously play out rather than a part of your personality you can observe and supervise. But when you recognise the Victim as a universally shared pattern of thinking, feeling, choosing and acting, you gain a higher perspective. You’re able to notice when you’re slipping into helplessness and use that awareness to reclaim your strength.

The Victim’s higher expression is self-empowerment. Its purpose isn’t to trap you in pain but to teach you how to rise beyond it. If necessary, this archetypal pattern of behaviour, in its underdeveloped form, will push you until you learn to stand up for yourself. It urges a healthy sense of independence. When you consciously collaborate with this archetype, it becomes a guide rather than a cage. It shifts into teacher mode, showing you where you’ve given away your power so you can call it back into your body and into present time.

Below are some journal prompts to gain a higher perspective on the Victim archetype.

Journal Prompts

Before you begin journalling with the Victim archetype, deconstruct it by brainstorming 3 disempowering traits and 3 empowering traits.¹ I recommend deconstructing this archetype using 3 different traits for both sides each time you notice the Victim at play in your life. Given that an archetype contains an unlimited number of empowering and disempowering traits, the aim here is to build your own resource of traits for each of your personal archetypes.

• When have I recently noticed myself feeling powerless or blaming others for my situation?What thoughts or beliefs were present at the time?
• How might the Victim archetype be showing up in my daily life, not to define me, but as a pattern I can observe and learn from?
• What would it look like to shift from feeling helpless to reclaiming my personal power in a current challenge?
• In what ways can I collaborate with the Victim archetype as a teacher, rather than allowing it to become a cage or limitation?
• How does recognising the Victim archetype help me move towards my authentic self, inner strength, and greater freedom?

Archetypes are not meant to confine you or categorise you; they help you to recognise that you are not your archetypes. The purpose of your personal archetypes is to serve your true Self, which is sacred. Archetypes at their best describe the Typology of Your Soul. Archetypes at their worst describe your false selves. Developed or underdeveloped, each archetype in its own way will point your focus toward inner peace, strength and freedom that you will find when you enter the sanctuary of your soul and embody the energy of your Sacred Self.

1. I recommend deconstructing archetypes this way: through mental contrasting. It’s a science-backed method that pairs vivid future visioning with honest recognition of current obstacles. Developed by psychologist Gabriele Oettingen, it transforms hopeful wishes into concrete plans, boosting motivation, clarity, and follow-through across areas like study, health, and habit change. ↩︎