People who keep all of these things moving are the real heroes.

Archetypes. Webster’s defines them as a “recurrent symbol in literature, art, or mythology.” With reference to psychology Webster’s continues by saying that, in regard to Jungian psychology, archetypes are “a primitive mental image inherited from the earliest human ancestors,” images which are “supposed to be present in the collective unconscious.”

Ah, the collective unconscious. That’s the key to what makes us as a society tick.

Everything that happens depends on what makes us tick inside. And those who understand what makes us tick inside, get to control the flow of how things go. But what primitive images, exactly, are they that make us tick and contribute to the control of flow.

I’ve been reading about these archetypical images in a book by Paul Laudicina entitled World Out of Balance, Navigating Global Risks to Seize Competitive Advantage. On page 91 of this book, Paul names some of the archetypes:

Hero – implying the spirit of survival.
Outlaw – implying the spirit of rebellion.
Explorer – conveying the idea of the joy of discovery and freedom.

All positive qualities these are. Certainly, spirits with which most of us would want to be associated. Corporations and advertisers recognized these spirits and their power to influence decades ago. In his book, Paul gives several examples of corporate advertising campaigns which have employed, with great success, these and other archetypes. No wonder we sometimes find the appeals of those “Mad Men” so irresistible. They reach into our souls.

And the reaching into souls, i.e., the employment of the archetype, has not been lost on other types of organizations, some of whom operate at cross-purposes to those who have perfected its usage.

Over the past ten years, since The Battle in Seattle, anti-corporate activists have learned to leverage and co-opt well those principles of the archetype which their opponents had been using, with success, for some decades prior.

In promoting their environmental or labor or economic agendas, activists and their NGO cousins first assumed the role of Outlaw, attracting attention through the leveraging of the spirit of rebellion. They stood out from the rest of society and carved themselves a position outside the normal circle. A position envious to some who occupied the circle of the 9 to 5 grind.

But then, before they went too far outside the normal circle, the NGOs and activists pulled themselves back into the normal social circle by adopting another role, the role of Explorer. They told us they had been outside the circle because they were on a mission of discovery for all of us, and that they were not in it just for themselves. Not withstanding the validity of any of their scientific or economic analyses, NGOs and activist organizations by promoting their agendas with “supporting facts” ventured into issues in the “common interest,” making discoveries “affecting everyone” and trumpeting their own freedom to advocate for all.

When they had successfully communicated this message, in doing these things they then almost automatically had the role of Hero

Continue reading Activist or Corporation. Who's the Hero?