The Professional Hero Archetype

Archetypes are categories of people, characters, or voices that express fundamental aspects of human experience, including work and life balance. Archetype descriptions may vary across cultures but are universally recognizable. Think about The Good Mother or The Hero, and an image will come to mind. The same goes for all archetypal figures described by Carl Jung, the great twentieth-century psychoanalyst: The Father, The Wise Old Man, and The Devil.

The Professional Hero Archetype

The Professional Hero is an archetype who can be an ardent supporter and cheerleader, finding ways to help their team meet big and little work-related trials directly. Known for strength, ingenuity, and the desire to be courageous at all costs, at the core of The Hero’s existence is the need to show how valuable it is not only to the Self but also to others.

The Professional Hero offers stability. Think Wonder Woman or Spiderman helping to navigate the most difficult parts of not just professional conundrums, but also social/work relationships. Strong. Courageous. At all costs, The Professional Hero is stable when they need to be.

The Professional Hero inside can fight what’s ahead with a dragon slayer’s mentality. The Hero archetype, in general, has been depicted with masculine and feminine energies in movies and comic books. Amid the trials of your career that are particularly difficult, imagine calling upon or conspiring with the likes of a Wonder Woman or Spiderman to help navigate through difficult times. It might seem funny, yet this is a journey that awakens an internal understanding of the professional Self. This is a gift as you enter the dance and meet all the aspects of the psyche, and repurpose them for capital and professional gains.

Ask Yourself:

• “Who am I without active work projects?”
• "Who am I when my professional roles are only part of me?"
• "How can I use the roles I’ve played and make a difference?"

The Professional Hero Inside

The Hero is a good example of a universal archetype. If asked to describe a Hero, an image is easily conjured. Images of The Professional Hero may be different, yet ultimately these archetypes do not need a translation. There is a powerful connection between the representation of The professional Hero and the lines that divide us from each other and the inner professional Self.