,
The concept of the archetype, which is an indispensable correlate to the idea of the collective unconscious, indicates the existence of definite forms in the psyche which seem to be present always and everywhere. Mythological research calls them "motifs"; in the psychology of primitives they correspond to Levy-Bruhl's concept of "representations collectives," and in the field of comparative religion they have been defined by Hubert and Mauss as "categories of the imagination." Adolf Bastian long ago called them "elementary" or "primordial thoughts." From these references, it should be clear enough that my idea of the archetype -- literally a pre-existent form -- does not stand alone, but is something that is recognized and named in other fields of knowledge.
In addition to our immediate consciousness, which is of a thoroughly personal nature and which we believe to be the only empirical psyche (even if we tack on the personal unconscious as an appendix), there exists a second psychic system of a collective, universal, and impersonal nature which is identical in all individuals. This collective unconscious does not develop individually, but is inherited. It consists of pre-existent forms, the archetypes, which can only become conscious secondarily and which give definite form to certain psychic contents.
From Carl Jung's "The Structure of the Psyche", 1927:
Just as some kind of analytical technique is needed to understand a dream, so a
knowledge of mythology is needed in order to grasp the meaning of a content
deriving from the deeper levels of the psyche....
The collective unconscious -- so far as we can say anything about it at all --
appears to consist of mythological motifs or primordial images, for which reason the
myths of all nations are its real exponents. In fact, the whole of mythology
could be taken as a sort of projection of the collective unconscious.
We can see this most clearly if we look at the heavenly constellations, which
original chaotic forms were organized through the projection of images. This explains
the influence of the stars as asserted by astrologers. These influences are nothing but
unconscious, introspective perceptions of the activity of the collective unconscious.
Just as the constellations were projected into the heavens, similar figures were projected
into legends and fairy tales or upon historical persons.
S. E. Schlarb