We can describe what is going on in these tumultuous times.
But we are hard pressed to say why, or how, we got here.
We have labels such as greed, corruption, capitalism, patriarchy, etc.
But they fail to explain the forces behind sociopathic leadership, the destruction of nature, and the many other problems we face.
The answer may lie in the power of archetypal forces and their influence.
Archetypes are held in the collective unconscious. They possess those that are susceptible and elicit strong emotions. When manifest in an individual they also lead to psychological projections and the creation of an essentially illusionary world.
In our modern world the gap between what we consider conscious and the unconscious has widened to the point where we discount the influence of the unconscious and thus we are in a state of universal disorientation.
However, despite societies lack of acknowledgement of the role the unconscious plays in who we are, it is still very much present.
There are many common archetypes recognized historically. Some of these are the king or queen, warrior, lover, various god or goddesses, etc. However the archetype that has perhaps the greatest influence is the hero. On one level we are all heroes on a heroes journey through life.
In the past the great heroes were honored, respected and emulated. They portrayed qualities of strength, perseverance, moral character, and other desirable qualities of the culture in which they originated.
With the advent of the industrial revolution a new type of “hero” began to emerge, and occupy the unconscious of western society – the successful self-made businessman. This hero was wealthy and hence had influence, was generally respected and displayed a morality matching the times.
With the relatively recent development of celebrity culture it became more important to be famous and wealthy than to be respected or honorable. Morality became the servant of ambition. Wealth bought power. These characteristics combined with the worst aspects of the shadow in the unconscious. Narcissism and sociopathy replaced any concern for the common good or for nature.
Thus within our current unconscious resides this new archetype of the hero. Though tremendously destructive, it still holds the appeal that the hero has always had.
We can look back at other times in history when society was in the grip of archetypal forces and think we have progressed, and think that the unconscious no longer holds any influence. Consequently we are ripe in our delusion for the new “hero” described above to arise and possess us.
This seems to be the case currently where “hero” figures are on the rise globally and their supporters are possessed by the archetype. Leading to irrational emotional support, projection of heroic qualities onto the new “leaders” and delusional psychosis. And these leaders are also in the grip of the archetype, narcisstically fancying themselves the heroes of the day and delusional in their belief in their simple solutions to complex, difficult challenges.