Survival Archetype: The Child, Revisited

Two years ago, I posted about survival archetypes. Here is the link: http://parttheveil.blogspot.com/2015/07/archetypes-and-healing.html

So much of cognitive therapy helps us deal with childhood experiences that color the way we react to situations and relationships in our adult lives. According to Caroline Myss, The Child has a positive and negative side. In its positive aspect, the child inside us wants to nurture and play. The positive energy that flows from us when we manifest this part of The Child infects others and helps bring out the best in our relationships. The Child has many aspects including The Wounded/Abandoned/Orphaned Child, The Dependent, The Innocent, The Nature Child, and the Divine Child.  

The Wounded Child may be the easiest to identify with because of the focus of therapy since the 1960s. Many have found that childhood traumas have contributed to their actions as adults. In its positive aspect, The Wounded Child helps us have compassion for others and leads us to learn to forgive others. In its negative aspect, we remain grounded in self-pity and tend to seek parental figures instead of learning to be personally resourceful.

The Orphaned Child may have lost one or both parents, of may have experienced a familial situation in which they never “belonged” to the family. Positively, The Orphaned Child learns early independence and a keen sense of judgment based on experience. Negatively, The Orphaned Child seeks substitute families or parental figures, inhibiting the growth of mature adult relationships.

The Innocent Child manifests in the beliefs that all people are basically good.  He/she sees the beauty in spite of ugliness, believes everything is possible, and has a powerful imagination. The shadow Innocent does NOT believe in the possibility of miracles, and may result in a retreat into fantasy instead of facing reality. The injured Innocent Child develops depression or pessimism due to cynical responses to his/her magical thinking.

The Dependent Child is mainly a negative aspect that constantly seeks to fulfill something missing from childhood, although what is missing from childhood may never be defined. The Dependent Child has a hard time relating to others because of extreme self-absorption. The positive aspect of this archetype is that we can learn to spot it in our personalities as a warning to avoid needy and co-dependent behavior.

Many stories relate to The Child archetype: Peter Pan, Pippi Longstocking, Alice in Wonderland, The Secret Garden, Oliver Twist, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Moses, and more.