Heroic Organizations and Institutions as Secular Temples: A Personal Outlook

Carol S. Pearson
Author

Pearson, C. S. (2017). Heroic Organizations and Institutions as Secular Temples: A Personal Outlook. Journal of Genius and Eminence, 2(2), 126-132. http://dx.doi.org/10.18536/jge.2017.02.2.2.13

This personal reflection is an outgrowth of Campbell’s work that applies an archetypal analysis to the United States that has been piloted in organizational development efforts. An application of the author’s theories and models, the article identifies the founding archetype for the US as the Explorer and argues that other archetypes are currently obscuring it, resulting in what is being described as a culture war. This martial archetype, then, further obscures the Explorer and makes it difficult to restore a sense of healthy and authentic patriotism to America, patriotism founded on what is special about the country, rather than on pretentions to greatness in comparison to other nations. Returning attention to the Explorer archetype is necessary to restore unity and fellow feeling within the US and with its allies, so that we can work together to solve the looming problems before us, such as terrorism, income inequality, and climate change.

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