What on earth is an archetype and how does that work in coaching?

There are two questions here. First, what on earth is an archetype? Maybe you're familiar with this term, maybe not. I know when I first heard the word years ago it intrigued me enough to go do some research and find out more. This led me down a path of training with Caroline Myss in her Sacred Contracts program, learning all about archetypes and how they play out in personal empowerment and the workplace. What if knowing your archetypes can empower you to identify the greatness that you are and achieve more goals in life? Who wants more success? Read on to find out how archetypes influence your life and how coaching can be beneficial to you.

Carl Jung defined archetypes as a primitive mental image that is present in the collective unconscious and that they are models of people, behaviours, and personalities. Caroline Myss pioneered her work with archetypes in writing a book and creating a program titled Sacred Contracts. She described archetypes as the architects of our lives; the energy companions through whom we can learn to understand ourselves  http://www.myss.com/library/contracts/determine.asp. This YouTube interview with Caroline Myss provides some insight into her work: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22rFENBwSEA .

After reading Caroline Myss's book Sacred Contracts, my soul was starving for more. So I completed two years of training with Caroline Myss and what a valuable investment that has been. Integrating archetype work into my coaching has been an easy fit and I have seen before me clients transform themselves through this form of 'self-dis-cover-y' and embrace their own power, resulting in advancement in both personal and professional realms. The psychological and emotional patterns of archetypes can lead you to profound understanding of your purpose.

The second questions is: How does this work in coaching? This form of coaching will guide you through intense self-examination, discovering the archetypes that make up your core essence, and working with them to realize your greater mission in life. It is a path of self-empowerment. In addition, you identify how your archetypes correspond with the archetypes of other people in your life which also relates to archetypes in the workplace.

Archetypes are a great tool to use in organizational development as it assists in awakening and empowering employees; it increases knowledge, skills, and motivation resulting in improved performance; it can assist in getting the best results; and it can support both the employees and the organization in achieving goals, increasing profits, being innovative, and having a great return on investment.

This diagram gives a visual of four categories that can be addressed in organizational development and including sample archetypes that can be identified, explored, and how they play out in each of these areas in the workplace. Applying this strategy to organizational development can bring out the greatness in staff and which results in greater outcome. What benefits or challenges do you see with this style of coaching approach?  What is your knowledge and/or experience with archetypes (or lack thereof)? I invite you to share in the comments section.

By Angela MacDonald
ATC - Adler Trained Coach,
HR Manager (in training)