Reclaiming The Warrior Archetype in Modern Masculinity with Mike Gilliland and Euvie Ivanova

Archetypes can be defined as the primordial modes of being, sets of behavior, or energies that we as humans occupy on both biological and psychological levels. Archetypes were largely explored and described by psychiatrist Carl Jung.

The second Jungian masculine archetype we are covering in this series is The Warrior. It is the most misunderstood archetype in our culture, often connected with unnecessary violence and tyranny. However, in its full expression, The Warrior is needed in order to bring about productive change in the world. We discuss how this archetype manifests in its childhood and mature versions, and talk about its characteristics and some well known versions of it like The Grandstander Bully, The Hero, The Sadist, The Masochist and The Coward.

In This Episode of Future Thinkers:

Characteristics of The Warrior archetype
Aggression as the positive trait — making effort to succeed, being assertive, and having initiative
Shadow version of The Warrior in childhood — The Bully
How The Hero manifests in childhood and adulthood
The suppressed aggression in a Nice Guy
Why today's society sees no need for aggression and actively discourages it
The Warrior as a force of creative destruction
The highest traits of this archetype — discipline, focus, open awareness, adaptability, humility
The Sadist and The Masochist as dysfunctional polarities of The Warrior
Examples of warriors from popular films and culture
How to integrate this archetype in a pro-social and productive way