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The Hero Within: Six Archetypes We Live By

Carol S. Pearson (Goodreads Author)

4.04 · Rating details · 1,374 ratings · 93 reviews

In this newly revised edition of the bestselling classic The Hero Within, Carol S. Pearson gives us a unique vocabulary to explore the link between ancient archetypes and our contemporary lives.

Works like Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces have introduced readers to the significance of myth and archetype in our lives. Carol Pearson's bestselling The Hero With

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Paperback, Revised & Expanded, 338 pages

Published October 13th 2015 by HarperOne (first published 1986)

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Apr 06, 2010 Karson rated it it was amazing

Shelves: identity, favorites

I found this book to be pretty profound - not just blow your mind - novel thinking type of profound, but "Holy crap this is deep stuff, and it seems like it could really be true be really true. It isn't empty intellectual exercise. It is based on Jung's archetypes, and I love Jung, but Pearson puts his ideas into everyday language and makes them more accessible. The archetypes are like a catalogue of possible personalities one can have. It is a way of conceiving of the world. It is like a road m ...more

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Jun 19, 2020 K.M. Weiland rated it really liked it

Excellent and thought-provoking.

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Apr 21, 2019 Jake rated it it was ok

The author has a progressive agenda and is not subtle about it. I have no problem reading opposing viewpoints, but in a book that is about Jungian archetypes one can only handle so many references to unconscious racial biases, feminism, environmentalism, and evil white men. Every page is dripping with it.

"Women, minority men, and the working class all have been culturally define as inferior and, as such, their role is to serve. To the degree that these groups have internalized such ideas, much o

"Women, minority men, and the working class all have been culturally define as inferior and, as such, their role is to serve. To the degree that these groups have internalized such ideas, much of their giving and serving is linked unconsciously [...]" - p. 75

Implicit biases has been debunked as a concept - I'm talking mainstream science here. But that aside, why is this textbook feminist dribble being injected into a book about archetypes at all?

Here's another example: the idea of wives leaving their husbands is promoted throughout, often shoe-stringed in as an example with no relevance to the topic at hand. It's utterly baffling. Here are some quotes I selected, there are many more:

"The contemporary woman leaves her parents, husband, or lover and takes off too. So prevalent is this expression of the Wanderer archetype that Erica Jong wrote in the 1960s, in How to Save Your Own Life, that 'Leaving one's husband is the only, the cosmic theme'" - p. 75

"What my friend did not see was that her client could not have a happy marriage because as yet she was incapable of taking her own journey while staying with him [...] no matter how wonderful her husband was, he was a captor to her." - p. 83

In discussing the "securest people she knows" she writes

"In this list I would put several friends: a woman who knew in her soul she must be an artist and left a marriage to a wealthy man to pursue her art [...]"- p. 89

When she uses men as an example, it's often negative:

"Men in this state infantilize women, so that women will not have the confidence to abandon them [...] they want to keep their wives, if not barefoot and pregnant, at least without the skills and confidence needed to have career" - p. 72

I'm going to stop here because there's really no value in continuing. Those who are opposed to progressive ideologues have been given warning enough, and those who disagree with me have likely already psychologized my motive for writing this as some sort internalized oppression or other such nonsense.

I'm giving the book 2 stars because despite all of I've said, I still find archetypes fascinating, and I did find some of what I was looking for. Despite having left a terrible taste, there is some good here, and I don't doubt that people could be helped by the psychological approach itself. It's the presentation I hate. ...more

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Dec 23, 2018 Kes rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, read-2018

This is a book about Jungian psychology. It talks about the stories we tell ourselves in our lives, and how to shift that internal narrative.

These stories generally fall into six archetypes: orphan, innocent, magician, wanderer, warrior, and altruist. The type of story shifts over time and is partly culturally constructed (this is the third edition, and the author talks about the changes briefly). The idea is that we think of ourselves as heroes in our stories. The type of hero differs, but we c This is a book about Jungian psychology. It talks about the stories we tell ourselves in our lives, and how to shift that internal narrative.

These stories generally fall into six archetypes: orphan, innocent, magician, wanderer, warrior, and altruist. The type of story shifts over time and is partly culturally constructed (this is the third edition, and the author talks about the changes briefly). The idea is that we think of ourselves as heroes in our stories. The type of hero differs, but we can change the hero we want to be. As she puts it:

Heroes have the esteem that comes from personal responsibility, but they have little or no sense of entitlement. To claim the hero within, we must let go of our belief that we are victimised if we do not have perfect parents or a perfect job, a perfect government or unending affluence. The very nature of heroism requires us to face the dragon, not sit around and complain that dragons exist and someone should do something about them. It never was, and it undoubtedly never will be, popular or easy to challenge "Holdfast the keeper of the past."

The author then goes into the different archetypes:

1) The Orphan, who deals with adversity - that life is full of suffering but they have the resilience to deal with it. Orphans see themselves as victims.

2) The Wanderer, who realises that they are too busy conforming that they start a journey to find their sense of self. Wanderers can see themselves as outsiders.

3) The Warrior, who seeks to prove who they are (defeating the competition) and the ability (and courage) to achieve it. Warriors claim their own authority within the system - they have the conviction and personal responsibility to change things. Gender roles often demand that men are warriors and women are altruists, although the mix is preferred.

4) The Altruist focuses on social responsibility (as opposed to the warrior's sense of individual responsibility) - they believe in making the world a better place through collective effort.

5) The Innocent has faith in a greater good. It also needs to be married with a faith in self and living life authentically (instead of constantly listening to others). (To me, the Innocent felt a bit like security - that is, the security in knowing your self and in achieving happiness by being your self.) As the author puts it: "A happy ending may well await us if we just have the courage to trust our own journeys." The idea is that the reaction to an experience is not "who is to blame" but "what can I learn from it? How can I trust this process?"

6) The Magician is about transformation - it is "associated with the human will, the capacity for free choice, and the decision to take control of one's life". Compared to the Innocent, Magicians take control of their life - with the risk of burning themselves out.

The second section deals with applying the archetypes to your own life, understanding how your environment can shape the archetype you're drawn to, and how to shift your archetypes.

It's a useful self-help book and a good introduction to Jungian psychology. ...more

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Nov 30, 2019 Andrew Tomlinson rated it it was ok

Shelves: psychology-mythology

Her marxist-lite approach undermines the entire book, best stick with Jung for now...

Although her perceptions of the mentioned archetypes are largely correct, I can't help but get very tired of her feminist, anti white male stance.. So tired I couldn't take her seriously after the first 60 pages.

From someone writing a book on psychological archetypes, I'd expect a more balanced and less Marxism-lite ideology suffusing almost every page. ...more

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Jan 23, 2021 Roy Madrid rated it really liked it

Love the ideas and framwork presented here to recognize, organize, and actualize personal growth. Gets off to a slow start, but gradually you you start to identify with each archetype presented until finally you realize where your journey should take you next.
I recommend the extended edition that includes exercises to work towards the experience and integration of each step asking the way.

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Jan 20, 2015 Jeffrey Howard rated it really liked it

Shelves: psychology-general

The first 50 pages of this book stirred within me a new hope for navigating life. Pearson introduces us to 6 archetypes--in the tradition of Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell--that have universal staying power. These archetypes are constantly at play in our daily lives, transcending cultures, religions, science, and any other dogmas. By familiarizing ourselves with these 6 archetypes we find contextualized truths that shape to individual temperaments and circumstances. Ignoring the power of these ar ...more

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Apr 23, 2009 Kris rated it really liked it

An enlightening read for personal growth. The Hero Within goes over six hero archetypes that we all live/have lived by, the innocent, orphan, martyr, wanderer, warrior, and magician, and how the progression happens between them, and the (potentialy) 'good and the bad', among other things. I found myself to be primarily magician with a mix of wanderer and martyr with a little warrior and hints of orphan. ...more

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Mar 31, 2018 Ms. Stephens rated it it was ok

Shelves: abandoned, professional-development

Not hugely readable... that and/or I just wasn't all that interested. Maybe useful for more careful study, or for study with a therapist... not so much for independent study. I read the beginning, then found myself skimming and skipping through the rest. ...more

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May 02, 2021 Steven Fouse rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, personality-psychology

Highly recommend for personal development.

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Oct 18, 2020 Alex rated it liked it

This is the kind of book that proves to be incredibly useful when read during moments of crisis.

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Nov 30, 2020 David Hollingsworth rated it liked it · review of another edition

"The Hero Within" is an interesting fusion of Jungian archetypal psychology, New Age belief in the universe, and self-help, with a special attention to how all of those things have a gendered way of applying to people thanks to how we've been socialized. To be straightforward, this book is different from what I expected. I expected it to be less self-help and more an analysis of the stories we tell ourselves that might benefit me as a fiction writer.

Honestly, I've never really liked self-help bo "The Hero Within" is an interesting fusion of Jungian archetypal psychology, New Age belief in the universe, and self-help, with a special attention to how all of those things have a gendered way of applying to people thanks to how we've been socialized. To be straightforward, this book is different from what I expected. I expected it to be less self-help and more an analysis of the stories we tell ourselves that might benefit me as a fiction writer.

Honestly, I've never really liked self-help books because I find the advice they give to be vapid. This book had enough substance that I certainly wouldn't call it vapid as a whole, but some of the stuff does get a little "trust the universe" New Age-y in a way that I don't think is very harmful. To get there, we must talk about how she defines the Magician archetype.

Basically, she defines it as putting trust in the universe that life will never give you too much you can't handle, and that going with the flow is the key. To be fair, she doesn't call the Magician the endpoint, and says you need to balance it with the Wandered (going it alone to find yourself), Warrior (fighting to exercise some agency over the world), and Martyr (self-sacrificing as a sign of love) to be healthy. But there's still a lot of "you are responsible for your own condition stuff" that I think is true to an extent, but all too often is used to reframe systematic failings as individual failings. She often brings up gender, race, and class inequality, which is appreciated, but it's done in an individualized way.

She also does this thing where she gives a social psychological failing for certain political philosophies that I think is an inexcusably shallow way of looking at things. For example, she blames the "failings of welfare liberalism" on some Orphan archetypal social psychology nonsense, despite the fact that social democracy demonstrably resulted in the highest standard of living in US history and got stripped away in large part because special interest money has gradually stripped away the function of the state to redistribute wealth and reign in industry. Politics in this book, however, is only seen through a social psychological lens, and as a historian I find that to be shallow to the point of irresponsibility.

That said, I did find the discussion of these archetypes interesting and thought-provoking. I think balancing the lessons of each (the book says six, but really the Innocent is the starting point and the Orphan is sort of a trial stage where you learn to get past your fear of lonely helplessness, so really it's four) does seem like a healthy way to conceptualize inner balance in approaching the world. Overall, despite the issues I had with this book, I'm glad I read it. I imagine there are probably better books that are less New Age-y, but it's a quick and solid enough read that I'd still recommend people check it out if the topic seems interesting. ...more

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Sep 05, 2017 MiCaela Chagnon rated it it was amazing

Shelves: lifestyle, self

I stopped reading this book fairly quickly after I started; not because I didn't enjoy it but because life is often chaotic and I was attempting to navigate through many things. I recently found it as I was researching for my blog and I got so excited! This is book is everything that I want to teach the world, the very kind of thing I'm hoping to get across in my blog. I could identify with the voice of the author as well as the archetypes she describes, in innumberable ways.

I stumbled upon thi ...more

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Aug 17, 2020 Jaclyn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Fascinating stuff. I like how the archetypes all exist in all of us to some extent or other, and that our dominant archetypes at any point in time are determined by our upbringing, the people around us, and our circumstances. It's far more complex than what I expected (more like a Buzzfeed quiz of 'which archetype are you?")

I also like that we need to pull up different archetypes within us depending on the situation, and that the traits we dislike in others may sometimes speak to the archetypes ...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Katie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It was an interesting read about how we as humans develop. We go through archetypes and we don't even know it! Some bits of advice/info were a bit out there for me, but for the most part it was an enlightening read on archetypes and life. Learning more about archetypes, really helps you understand more about life. Oh, and I took the quiz at the end and it looks like I'm a Warrior/Magician hybrid. ...more

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Nov 07, 2012 Adam rated it really liked it

The Hero Within is a fascinating book. The orphan and warrior were my two that I really looked too as a actor. They use myths and legends to get the point across. Excellent for your self esteem. This uplifting book tackles issues of your childhood and how you were raised. Find your inner hero and read this book!

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May 10, 2018 Shekhar Ruparelia rated it it was ok

Shelves: psychology

Disappointed with this book. I had to let go of it little less than halfway. Generalisations, dated examples and a lifestyles from a different era. I did find some useful ideas, but they were too far and few in between.

A slightly lengthier review on my blog: https://adventuresofatraveller.wordpr... ...more

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Sep 26, 2014 Private Account rated it liked it

This book is great for writers! It is fantastic when read about our stories--the ones we write and the ones we tell ourselves about our lives.

But as a psychology book... Read Non Violent Communication and everything by Nathaniel Branden instead.

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Jun 23, 2012 Cathy Proses rated it it was amazing

Explains people without pigeon-holeing.

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Jun 10, 2017 Ashley Doutt rated it did not like it · review of another edition

DNF

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Jul 22, 2017 Bremer rated it really liked it

"The belief that we have to compromise critical parts of ourselves to fit in makes visible and real to us both our need for love and our equally strong need to explore who we are. The tension between these incredibly strong and apparently conflicting impulses leads us first to give up important pieces of ourselves in order to fit in, and in that way to learn how much love and belonging means to us, and finally, radically, to choose ourselves and our journeys as even more important to us than car
"The belief that we have to compromise critical parts of ourselves to fit in makes visible and real to us both our need for love and our equally strong need to explore who we are. The tension between these incredibly strong and apparently conflicting impulses leads us first to give up important pieces of ourselves in order to fit in, and in that way to learn how much love and belonging means to us, and finally, radically, to choose ourselves and our journeys as even more important to us than care of others or perhaps even our own survival."

"...We can see suffering as only part of the process--the process of letting go: of Eden, of childhood, of parents, of lovers, of children, of our lives as we know them, and ultimately, in death, of life itself. Our lives will be transformed as we let go and trust our new directions, however fearful we may be about the unknown and however much grieving we may need to do about what we leave behind."

"An easy litmus test can determine whether one is giving or enabling. If, when we give, we feel either used or smugly superior, it is time to look at what really is going on. Healthy giving is respectful of both the giver and the receiver. If Martyrs do not acknowledge that other able-bodied adults are capable of taking care of themselves, they are crippling them. If they use giving to feel superior, then they really are masking their own sense of inadequacy, something that must be attended to. Otherwise they will have a vested interest in keeping other people dependent for the satisfaction of feeling needed and important. And, finally, if Martyrs think giving is more virtuous than receiving, they are likely to give inappropriately and also to block the gifts they do receive, so they always feel shortchanged."

"Without the skills of assertion and boundary setting, there can be no really peer love relationship. Otherwise, one person simply conquers and the other appeases."

"Our capacity to receive life fully is psychologically related to our willingness to give what it requires of us: to love as fully as we can, even though we know that doing so opens us up to pain and sorrow; to live our vocational purpose, to do our work, even though we risk failure, poverty, or receiving little or no appreciation; and ultimately to die, for that is the price we pay for having lived." ...more

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Feb 19, 2019 Natalia Tolstopyat rated it liked it

Feeling stuck and lost? Don't know what to do with your life? Don't enjoy your personal progress? Carol S. Pearson, PhD is here to help you. Her book the hero within is a marriage of psychoanalysis and myth scholarship. There she describes six archetypes or stages of human development. According to Pearson, understanding the archetypes and their "quests" should help people to have a balanced and happy life. By quests she means the storylines that people follow, plots that are somewhat typical in ...more

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Sep 02, 2020 Sharyn Campbell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommended to Sharyn by: Gloria Coelho of Caritas Consciousness Project

Shelves: spirituality

I read the 1989 edition, concerned it would seem dated. Not at all. I took the Self Test at the end, and I look forward to exploring the exercises for the archetypes that are very active in my life presently. This appears in Chapter 7 and could have been written for today: "If you read the newspapers [okay, so that dates this passage], it may appear to you that little is changing -- or that things are getting worse, not better. Indeed, in times of massive social transformation like this one, thi ...more

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Sep 09, 2018 Mathew Vondersaar rated it liked it

Shelves: self-help

TLDR: Gave me an interesting lens to view life, people, and progress. Written by a feminist religious psychologist, themes of that nature arose in as a bit of a welcome surprise. Too self-help and motivational for my taste, as I picked it up looking for a book on psychology and was only somewhat disappointed.

However, the last "stage" and largely most important steps are all related to spirituality, with a massive swath of Cristian examples. Other religions are used, but by far and above capital ...more

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Aug 17, 2018 Erin Moxam rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: nonfiction

I am a huge fan of Joseph Campbell, so when I saw this book I picked it up right away. This was a really excellent read, an extremely interesting examination of some of the archetypes that play roles in our lives. I liked how this book was broken up and enjoyed the writing style. Sometimes I get bogged down in the drudgery of nonfiction, but I flew through this book. Very much in the Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell school, this book looks at both the good and bad sides of some familiar archetypes ...more

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Jun 24, 2021 Alexandru Constantin rated it it was ok

Somewhat interesting overview of Jungian archetypes mixed with Cambell.

Unfortunately, the book is filled with dorky new-age cat lady Boomerism. At one point the author laments that she knows if the USSR and USA sat down they would just work things out and the USSR would teach the US about inequity... Goddamn laughable when a few years after the book came out people tore down walls with their bare hands to get out of the East.

Dorky 2nd wave feminism is shockingly outdated in the age of 18yo gir ...more

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Jul 26, 2021 David Mcnicholas rated it really liked it

very helpful framework. recommended read. some current social issues are not treated with the same interrogative quality we come to require from our sages. written in the eighties when the views expressed were still progressive. discussion of socially intelligent themes should be taken with a grain of salt or ignored entirely. readers may find value in the core themes of the work.i did. disclaimer: this review written by a white man in the united states

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Feb 04, 2019 Carlos rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Good book

This book was mentioned many times on a YouTuber (like stories of old), I really like the book. I would say my two strong archetypes I see now are the Innocent and The Magicians but I see the author is telling we all have these archetypes and we got find every way to balanced them. Later on I will try the exercise

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Jul 17, 2020 Rasmus Rygh rated it liked it

It's a great book for anyone interested in anything Jungian, and probably for anyone looking for ways to work on him/herself. You'll get introduced to some major archetypes that govern your life, and start to form a relationship with them, since you'll begin your journey by naming.

It's a treasure throve of exercises too, and can even be read as a therapeutic analysis of yourself. ...more

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Nov 29, 2020 Jacob Coldwell rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Great book to understand diversity in people

This book breaks down people’s perspective that are attached with an archetype. It breaks out from minute details to look at people’s strengths and weaknesses as a whole. These are not viewed as judgement but as areas for growth or developing strength. It’s a treasure of clarity and simplicity.

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About Carol S. Pearson

Carol S. Pearson

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Carol S. Pearson, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized scholar and well-known author of numerous books, among them the bestselling The Hero Within, Awakening the Heroes Within, The Hero and the Outlaw, and Magic at Work. Her new book, Persephone Rising: Awakening the Heroine Within, was published in October 2015.

Dr. Pearson previous book, The Transforming Leader, is an edited collection of cutt ...more

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“No matter how much people want to feel loved, appreciated, and a part of things, they will be lonely until they make a commitment to themselves, a commitment that is so total that they will give up community and love, if necessary, to be fully who they are.” — 6 likes

“The hero’s journey requires us to find our uniqueness. We simply cannot do that without enough solitude to find out who we are. Most of us need some time alone every day just to stay clear.” — 3 likes

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