Death, Destruction and Bunches of Balloons

In the Pearson Marr Archetype Indicator (PMAI), Carol Pearson and Hugh Marr have defined twelve core archetypes of fundamental importance to the arc of anyone's life and development. Archetypes, first defined by Carl Jung, are unconscious structures or forms within all of us that we each have in common with people across cultures and across time. They are dry river beds that we all have within us. Mother, Father, the Journey, Good, Evil-these are examples of archetypal forms that everyone shares.  Personal and collective experiences that we each have will make our individual rivers take on specific features and contours unique to our own development and understanding, but the fact that we all share the river beds in common makes these archetypes a uniquely human experience. Archetypes are narratives or story lines that are threaded through our lives-giving the action, characters, motivation and dialog around us context and meaning.

Almost always when I use the PMAI model or tool, the archetype most people get the lowest score on and most often struggle to understand and embrace is the Destroyer.  Often symbolized by death and destruction, the Destroyer's story is the narrative of closure, termination, letting go, plowing under-clearing our lives, hearts and minds for new growth and creativity.  However the Destroyer is not about the new buds of spring and the hope that accompanies them-but the endings that must come first. While it is easy to see why death and destruction are so often associated with this archetype, the Destroyer's story is helpful - if not essential - in so many ways day to day. Cutting the cord, cleaning things out, bringing bad or hurtful relationships to an end-these are things that need the Destroyer's story and point of view. Indeed life teaches all of us, eventually, that everything must come to an end.

It is not surprising to me that so many people I know struggle with the Destroyer archetype within themselves. As a nation, the United States has long struggled with our collectively held Destroyer's story. This is why, I believe, we can as a nation go to war and claim that we are creating democracy (Creator archetype), fighting for freedom (Warrior archetype) and or protecting down-trodden people or values (Caregiver archetype) while willfully overlooking or flat-out denying that we are crushing and plowing under people and their ways of life. This is the Destroyer's tale, and it does not easily fit in the United States' collectively held narrative about who we are and what we care about.

Integrating the Destroyer archetype into our individual and collective psyches is an important developmental goal, which is why I watched with delight Disney/Pixar's latest masterpiece, UP. The movie presents the story of Carl Frederickson, an old man without children who has lost his wife and lifetime companion, Ellie as the movie opens. Crotchety and emotionally calloused, Carl struggles to hold onto his fulfillment, which he defines as an epic struggle to stay connected to the life he has lived, to his wife (now deceased), to his past. The dramatic sweep of this struggle is symbolized by Carl's attempt to run away but to bring his house and all of his belongings with him. But the story-studded with great characters, fast-clipped action, and thousands of beautiful helium balloons-becomes an epic struggle to find fulfillment and meaning by letting go and moving on. He comes to see that the choice he must make is either to engage in the life and relationships he has now or to hold on to the past. After Carl saves his friends and foils the bad guy by abandoning his house, his young friend and side-kick innocently says, "Sorry about your house, Mr. Frederickson."

"You know," Carl says, "it's just a house."  And with this we see that the Destroyer archetype has done its job.

I have long loved movies as visual examples of archetypes in action. The Destroyer narrative has many classic examples - the Seventh Seal's Grim Reaper collecting souls; Raising Arizona's Lone Biker of the Apocalypse, a violent marauder on a Harley; Schwarzenegger's Terminator, and any number of serial killing sociopaths or war movie destructive forces, but now to this collection, I can add the best movie I've seen in a long time, and the best Destroyer's movie I've ever seen - UP.