Brogan Hannon

Metapatterns of the Mind: Archetypal Thinking, the Self, and the Power of Values

Brogan Hannon

New York University (USA)
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Abstract

Humanity is confronted with numerous global issues, in part due to the moral values and societal norms that guide our behavior and interactions with the planet. For this reason, understanding the formation of values is immensely important. Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung introduced the concept of the archetype to help clarify the reappearing patterns of valuation that occur human life. Through this notion, we can better recognize the values and tendencies that we hold. Today, external qualities such as wealth, fame, and power reside at the forefront of societal value-systems. In the past, however, value-systems focused on internal character traits. I will argue that to overcome the major issues of today, we must return to valuing internal attributes, rather than external gains. Crucial to this return is the Jungian notion of the “Self” – through it, we can begin to escape the societal values that have led to our strained relationship with the natural world and with one another. To help illustrate the concept of the “Self” and the lifelong process of self-development, I will use Volk’s metapatterns of the center and the arrow. Ultimately, I conclude that in placing the development of the self as the central goal in our lives, we can discover internal values that are important to us as individuals, leading to a happier and more satisfied life, as well as a global shift in the way in which we interact with the world.

Citation information:

Metapatterns of the Mind: Archetypal Thinking, the Self, and the Power of Value
BROGAN HANNON
New York University (USA)

Citation information:
Hannon, Brogan. 2020. Metapatterns of the Mind: Archetypal Thinking, the Self, and the Power of Values. The NYU Student Journal of Metapatterns, volume 2, paper 5.
Available at: https://metapatterns.wikidot.com/nyusjm:nyusjm2-1



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