The Self-Help Classics

Classics List

The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By
(1998)
Carol S Pearson

The Hero Within is no learned treatise, but its sheer accessibility has made Jungian archetypal psychology understood by a popular audience. Apart from Jung, Pearson admits her large debt to Joseph Campbell, the mythologist who made popular the idea of ‘the hero’s journey’ (see The Power of Myth) and James Hillman (see The Soul’s Code).

Carl Jung pioneered the idea of archetypes, described as ‘imprints of possibility’ which are available for everyone to access. Consider Pearson’s six archetypes, which she discusses in detail:

Pearson’s most interesting observation is her belief that we are moving from a Warrior to a Magician culture. The former is characterised by the ethos of ‘getting ahead’, even if what we get ceases to mean much or do us much good. The Magician is more open to change and transformation, less set in its ways, and instead of trying to be a winner in the existing, less than perfect world, is willing to create a new world. Where Warriors strategise, using will and tenacity to make change, the Magician envisions, believing that the power of the vision will create its own momentum. Which is better? To the extent that the Magician is enlisting forces greater than himself, Magician-ship would ultimately seem more powerful. Most people would prefer to produce magic than fight battles.

The original Hero Within was published in 1986. Later editions show how readers can adapt and integrate the archetypes into their everyday lives, and have contemporary references, but if you can only find the original edition, don’t worry - the essential part of the book is appreciating the archetypes, which are not subject to a lot of change.

Extracted from the book 50 Self-Help Classics: 50 Inspirational Books To Transform Your Life by Tom Butler-Bowdon. For reader reviews and ordering, click on the image.
Classics List
BUTLER-BOWDON Life-changing books