The Persona: Archetype of Successful Adaptation

With characteristic dry humor, C.G. Jung wrote that the development of the persona “is usually rewarded in cash.” The persona, the public face (or mask) we show to the outside world, can help us relate in a flexible and differentiated way, fulfilling the expectations of those around us and maneuvering through existing social conditions to meet our own goals and desires. (A healthy persona brings not just money, but also self-expression, companionship, recognition, opportunity, and creative accomplishment.)

Difficulties with the persona arise when, through poor adaptation to the world, we fail to catch on to the necessities, boundaries, customs and roles of our profession or environment. Equal difficulties arise when we identify too strongly with a persona role, (a persona can be sticky!) and lose our sense of self and our soul.

The paradox is that in order to fashion a genuinely successful persona for the benefit of the world, each of us requires specialized knowledge of our own unique individual make-up.

In this day long seminar we will examine the nature of the persona and the archetype of adaptation, with plentiful examples from daily life. Our goal will be to reveal how the development of a sound relationship between the ego and persona can bring us what we want—and what we need.