archetype

In the theories of Carl Jung (1875–1961), the inherited structural component of the collective unconscious. It is a deep, unconscious representation of a group of experiences that have been accumulating within each new generation of humans. This collection of experiences remains part of the individual's personality in the unconscious and influences the thought and behavior patterns of each individual to varying degrees. Archetypes are also referred to as primordial images or imagos, and the major archetypes are the anima and the animus. See also nativism.