archetype
An archetype is the ultimate stereotype dwelling in the depths of the human psyche, endlessly performing the same role in the unconscious theater. Everyone craves the hero, the sage, or the betrayer role, yet those are mere borrowed masks. Psychologists call them universal truths, while individuals remain bound by ancient copies. When one realizes that the so-called journey of self-discovery merely follows someone else’s script, one encounters a solitude teetering on the brink of freedom.