The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious

Jung distinguishes the archetype of the Great Mother from the Anima. He says many religions project different versions of the Great Mother archetype. Jung relates the human connection to the Great Mother archetype to the philosophical concept of a priori knowledge, suggesting that some psychological structures are innate to all humans at birth. He claims that children have a greater awareness of the unconscious realm and that this is lost over time.

Jung asserts that his approach to the collective unconscious is scientific, arguing that since archetypes emerge independently across cultures, it proves their universality and the existence of a priori knowledge. While each archetype has a basic and primordial form, it is the individual that gives it shape and complexity. Therefore, he cautions that it is a mistake to associate a literal maternal figure with the archetype of the Great Mother. However, an individual’s personal relationship with their mother—both in reality and within the unconscious—can impact the psyche and shape how the person perceives the archetype itself.

The Great Mother archetype appears across many cultures and mythologies. Christianity offers a primary example through the figure of the Virgin Mary. The Greek goddess Demeter is another example of this archetype.