The inherited dimension of the psyche according to the analytical psychology of Jung, Carl. Archetypes are ways of thinking and acting that derive from the most primitive aspects of our psyche, which for Jung means that dimension of the psyche we have in common with our most distant ancestors. There is a large variety of archetypes, each one pointing to a different mode of action such as caring for another or defending oneself from attack. Taken together they form a dynamic preconscious system which is actively seeking actualization in the form of an association, complex, idea, or at the negative extreme a symptom. The most well-known example is the binary pair animus/anima---the former is the archetypal image woman has of man and the latter the archetypal image man has of woman. Archetypes can usefully be compared with the structure referred to in ethology as innate releasing mechanisms. They are powerful forces compelling action, which is why the conscious has to engage them and bring them under control.