A Writer's Dozen - Archive

Character Archetypes
By Darlene First posted March 2007
Listing a mere 12 character archetypes when, according to some experts there can be as little as four to as many as sixteen, I decided to list personality types from various resources and articles and list a couple of traits to describe what the type is like (sometimes you can tell just by the title alone). One - from The Heroic Myth Index Innocent – trust optimism Orphan – interdependence, realism Warrior – courage, discipline Caregiver – compassion, generosity Seeker – autonomy, ambition Lover – passion, commitment Destroyer – humility Creator – individuality, vocation Ruler – responsibility, control Magician – personal power Sage – wisdom, nonattachment Fool – joy, freedom See the book Awakening the Heroes Within by Carol S. Pearson Two - Zodiac Sign Types Aries – motto: I am Taurus – motto: I have Gemini – motto: I communicate Leo – motto: I create Virgo – motto: I serve Libra – motto: I weigh Scorpio – motto: I control Saggitarius – motto: I philosophize Capricorn – motto: I master Aquarius – motto: I universilize Pisces – motto: I believe Three - Enneagram Types The Perfectionist – tries to avoid mistakes The Giver – wants to gain approval The Performer – wants to be loved for achievement The Romantic – attracted to the hard to get The Observer – craves privacy and a place to be alone The Trooper – thinks instead of doing The Epicure – seeks stimulation The Boss – concerned with justice The Mediator – maintains the comfort of neutrality Four - Personal Styles of Approaching Change Leave well enough alone – maintain sameness The Ostrich – seems fine to me The Old-timer – go back to good old days The Turtle – moves in careful steps The Fixer – likes to troubleshoot The Cannon – impulsive The Scrapper – wrestles over change The Pipe-dreamer – creates ideas, implements very little The Late Starter – holds back until situation forces change The Visionary – focuses on better ways to improve things The People Person – focuses on personal meaning of change The Boot-strapper – keeps moving despite obstacles (Five and Six are very similar) Five - Communication Style Types Emotive – sociable, spontaneous, emotional Supportive – patient, warm, softhearted Reflective – scientific, serious, aloof Directive – determined, bold, aggressive Six - from Your Personality Tree by Florence Littauer Sanguine – promoter, demonstrative, talker, popular Phlegmatic – peaceful, friendly, listener, permissive Melancholy – planner, orderly, musical, perfectionist Choleric – competitive, forceful, outspoken, productive Seven - from The Complete Writer’s Guide to Heroes and Heroines: 16 Master Archetypes by Tami D. Cowden, Caro LaFever, and Sue Viders. Chief Bad Boy Best Friend Charmer Lost Soul Warrior Swashbuckler Professor Boss Seductress Nuturer Free Spirit Waif Crusader Spunky Kid Librarian Eight - 16 Jung (Myers Briggs) Archetypes See http://patchworkpoet.com/Jung.htm These 16 types include: Introversion, Extroversion, Intuition, Sensing, Thinking, Feeling, Judgment and Perception. ISTJ – The Duty Fulfiller ISTP – The Mechanic ISFJ – The Nurturer ISFP – The Artist INFJ – The Protector INFP – The Idealist INTJ – The Scientist INTP – The Thinker ESTP – The Doer ESTJ – The Guardian ESFP – The Performer ESFJ – The Caregiver ENFP – The Inspirer ENFJ – The Giver ENTP – The Visionary ENTJ – The Executive Nine - first four were from Heroic Alphabet by Alicia Rasley then she said to explore gamma and beyond so I matched four others with Cowden’s 16 master archetypes: Alpha – the man in charge (chief) Delta – mad, bad and dangerous to know (bad boy) Theta – the man in need (lost soul) Beta – the guy who stays and plays (best friend) Gamma – the intellectual (professor) Zeta – the risk-taker (swashbuckler) Sigma – the charmer Omega – the protector (warrior) And that's my off-dozen nine character types!