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Archetypes

We believe that personality and environment develop us into soft souls, and we refer to soft soul archetypes as the ways people tend to try to protect their soft souls from the harsh world. These archetypes can be seen across literature and history. While there may be many, below is a list of what we commonly see:

·         The Idealist, who soothes and protects by ignoring the negative and believing it will get better.

·         The Charmer, who soothes by getting attention and “love” from others.

·         The Fighter, who protects by getting angry instead of getting hurt.

·         The Pleaser, who soothes by making everyone happy so the world doesn’t feel so bad.

·         The Invisible One, who becomes unseen in order to avoid the pains of the world.

·         The Addicted One, who soothes by medicating the pain.

These six are covered well in the book, “Soft Souls Living in a Harsh World”. Additional archetypes not covered in the book include:

The Thinker

• Soothes by shutting off their emotions.

• Characteristics: Like the “Mr. Spock” character in the Star Trek mythos, these individuals try to navigate the world by relying on their intellect and cognitive abilities. Emotions are often seen as distracting or unnecessary, so the best way to get through situations is to do so logically.

• The positive: Thinkers have great minds and can address situations in a calm and diplomatic manner. They stay away from drama and focus on the smartest thing to do in a situation.

• When overused: Repressed emotions can cause pain for both the Thinker and those in his or her life. Overly repressed emotions can cause physical or emotional harm and can explode unpredictably over time. Those in a Thinker’s life might experience a lack of warmth or care.

The Jester

• Soothes by joking and distracting from the pain.

• Characteristics: Many great professional comedians are Jesters who have had difficult lives or struggle with things like depression or anxiety. Humor can be partly an attempt to escape the pain.

• The positive: Jesters can bring such joy to the world and help others get a temporary break from life’s challenges and difficulties. Jesters are often adored by others and are seen as positive people.

• When overused: Jesters become the clown who is laughing on the outside and crying on the inside. This dissonance can cause them much internal pain. People who live with Jesters can often feel like their feelings are not being taken seriously and can feel a distance from the Jester that seems impossible to cross.

The Caregiver

• Soothes by focusing away from their own circumstances and emotions and instead on the needs of others.

• Characteristics: The Caregiver focuses on the needs of others, whether it be children, the elderly, victims of abuse, the hungry, etc. Whether the needs be emotional, physical or financial, the Caregiver does whatever is necessary to soothe the pain of others and thus their own.

• The positive: First in a crisis, always looking out for the needs of others, the Caregivers of the world are the guardians of the underprivileged and downtrodden. They are beautiful souls who are full of love (some might say “pure in heart”).

• When overused: Caregivers can sometimes suffer because they ignore their needs too long or don’t take care of themselves. On occasion they can become bitter, wondering, “who cares for me?”

The Artist

• Soothes by creating and, at times, escaping into a world of imagination and dreams.

• Characteristics: Musicians, painters, singers, etc., what would the world be without artists? Some say that the more tortured the artistic soul the more beautiful the artistic creation. The world has been full of quirky artists who have touched our hearts and our souls.

• The positive: Artists sometimes bring beauty to the world and sometimes they give us a voice for our deep longings and pains. The world loves the artist who can give a voice to our deepest feelings.

• When overused: Artists can, at times, get lost in the art. Some get lost in their imagination and fail to navigate the world successfully because they don’t see it as their reality. The pain can sometimes overwhelm the artist because they are so sensitive to the harshness of the world.

The Rebel

• Tries to protect by being different and breaking the rules.

• Characteristics: One of the favorite words for a rebel is “why”. They will push back against convention and offer a different way to see the world. Following rules for rules’ sake does not make sense to the Rebel.

• The positive: Divergent thinkers are needed in society if we are going to progress. Rebels can test the limits of our creativity and our thinking in order to challenge us to grow, question and change.

• When overused: Rebelling for the sake of rebelling means you are actually letting others control you. To fight the rules just because they are rules does not serve the individual or society, but rather just creates negativity and strained relationships.

The Ruler

• Craves power and authority as a way to protect him- or herself.

• Characteristics: Rulers like to be in control. They are leaders rather than followers and have strong and assertive personalities. They will make sure things get accomplished and accomplished well.

• The positive: The world needs leaders and the Ruler is happy to take the reins. They are usually visionary, strong, confident and willing to take risks. When healthy they will lead people around them to a better place in life.

• When overused: Rulers can become “control freaks” and overpower others. When overused, there is only one way: the Ruler’s way. Other people can become the speedbumps in the road of their lives!

The Zealot

• Tries to protect through superiority generated from extreme religiosity or obsessive focus on a cause.

• Characteristics: Thank goodness that we have people who are willing to fight for the cause. Zealots have strong beliefs and are willing to endure persecution in order to share their beliefs and thoughts. They have a strong sense of God and goodness.

• The positive: When done with love and compassion the Zealot can change lives for the positive and give people something to believe in beyond themselves. They can challenge others to live better lives and to love their Creator.

• When overused: Some Zealots run on hate and judgment rather than love and compassion. They see others as less than them and use their faith to demean and ostracize people who believe differently. In the extreme, they are willing to kill others to serve their Creator.

The Worker

• Tries to protect through throwing themselves into projects or their career.

• Characteristics: The Worker makes things happen and “gets it done”. They are willing to take on the challenge and will accomplish the task.

• The positive: What would society be without those individuals willing to get the job done? Their strong work ethic means we can make advances, have infrastructures and never fail the task. Workers are willing to put in the time and energy to get results.

• When overused: Workers can lose life balance and forget that there is more to life than just accomplishing tasks. At times, they cannot allow themselves to relax and recharge and can forget their spouses, children and other loved ones.