Review: Archetypes: Who Are You? by Caroline Myss

Title: Archetypes: Who Are You?
Author: Caroline Myss
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Hay House
Publish Date: January 8, 2013
Source: I received a copy from the PR; however, this did not affect my review.

Why You're Reading This Book:

• You're interested in self-help books.

What's the Story?:

From Goodreads.com: " Have you ever wondered why you are drawn to certain people, ideas, or products and turned off by others? Are you constantly searching for something you can’t put your finger on, or wondering whether you are living a life that truly fits?
    
 In Archetypes, New York Times best-selling author Caroline Myss delves into the world of archetypes, which have been the subject of her work for more than 25 years. Archetypes are universal patterns of behavior that, once discovered, help you better understand yourself and your place in the world. In short, knowing your archetypes can transform your life.
     
Within the pages of this book, Myss writes about ten primary archetypes that have emerged in today’s society: the Caregiver, the Artist/Creative, the Fashionista, the Intellectual, the Rebel, the Queen/Executive, the Advocate, the Visionary, the Athlete, and the Spiritual Seeker. In each chapter, she explains one individual archetype, showing how it has evolved and then in fascinating detail lays out the unique characteristics, the defining graces, the life challenges, and other information to help you understand if you are part of this archetype family and if so, how you can fully tap into its power. She also offers tips and practical advice on how to fully engage with your archetypes.
     
Learning which archetypes best describe you is just the beginning. You can then use this knowledge to make more conscious decisions about everything from careers to relationships, avoiding common pitfalls of your personality type while playing up your strengths. The result is a happier, more authentic you. It’s never too late to change your life by embracing your archetypes to the fullest.
     
So are you a Rebel? An Artist? A Visionary? Join us . . . and find yourself."

My Two Cents:

"Archetypes: Who are you?" is an interesting look at various archetype, or sort of types of people that there are in the world. Myss' premise is that by understanding what archetype you are, you can unlock some more of your potential. This book looks at 10 archetypes and interestingly enough, this book is only focused on women and archetypes for women. This is not mentioned in the book blurb on the flap of the book. Luckily, I'm a woman and therefore, I got something out of this book but if you're a guy, this is probably not the book for you and I would definitely consider looking at a different book about archetypes (there are many out there) that is more geared for either men or all people (I think looking at one for all people would be very helpful personally). It did kind of rub me the wrong way that the book was focused on just women, mostly because I don't really see why there has to be different books for men and women.

This book did give me a little bit of a new way to look at myself though. I fit into several of archetypes (caretaker and intellectual) mostly. The book is broken out by archetype and goes into specifics about such things as the pros and cons of each archetype as well as things that each person should be cognizant of. For instance, for the intellectual archetype, it is important to be aware of the fact that even though intellectuals are usually well read, they are also often guilty of shutting themselves out to opinions that they see as less educated than the ones that they hold. If I am being completely honest, that is most definitely something that I am guilty of; especially when it comes to subjects that I feel like I know a lot about. This book did make me a little more aware of the fact that I need to try a little harder when it comes to having a totally open mind.

I think this book was fairly good overall.