Complex archetypal structures that underlie the ‘human condition’

Abstract

In this article I synthesise notions from several different fields to argue that there are archetypal structures that underlie the human condition that can best be understood through the language of complexity. In so doing I accommodate the disparity that exists between different branches of the social sciences through the provision of a holistic overview that accords with the idea of a coherent scientific body of knowledge. To do this I use a Jungian typology to reinforce the parameters of four archetypes by which organisation and individuals have been interpreted, and locate this within some findings from evolutionary psychology, thereby building a meta-typology of the human condition. I conclude by suggesting that this can best be understood through the notions of relationship and knowledge through the opposite, and by examining some of the implications this approach holds for the field.