The twelve archetypes explored in this article (Hero, Magician, Sage, etc. described below) did not originate with Carl Jung, though they owe much to his work. Jung introduced the idea of archetypes as universal patterns – recurring figures that appear across myth, religion, and dreams. Building on this foundation, author and psychologist Carol Pearson developed a practical framework of twelve archetypes, each representing a distinct way of being in the world. Her work translates Jung’s symbolic language into narrative roles that individuals inhabit across life stages, leadership styles, and personal growth journeys.
What follows is an exploration of how these archetypes play out through the lens of the two models we use at TypeCoach (Cognitive Preferences from Jung/Myers and Kiersey’s 4 Temperaments) – the inner wiring that determines how we express the roles we’re called to play.
Archetypes are the Costumes; Type is the Actor Underneath
The best artistic works understand this. In them we find characters whose actions are not random or plot-driven, but deeply tied to an internal consistency. These characters inhabit an archetype, but do so through the lens of a clearly defined and pre-existing, separate personality type elements. When done well, the result is authenticity. We don’t always know what the character will do, but we know what they would do. Their choices fall within a band of behavior that feels true to and consistent with who they are. This is true in the creative world and in the world of leadership as echoed in this piece about authentic leadership.
Here’s a brief introduction to each of the twelve archetypes:
- Hero: The courageous warrior or champion who rises to meet challenges and makes sacrifices for others.
- Magician: The visionary or transformer who seeks to unlock hidden knowledge or reshape reality.
- Ruler: The leader or authority figure who brings order, structure, and control.
- Sage: The wise guide or scholar who offers truth, insight, and understanding.
- Caregiver: The nurturer or protector who gives freely of themselves to support others.
- Outlaw: The rebel or iconoclast who questions the system and seeks freedom or radical change.
- Jester: The playful disruptor who uses humor, wit, or chaos to challenge norms and provoke reflection.
- Explorer: The seeker or adventurer who craves novelty, autonomy, and discovery.
- Creator: The innovator or artist who imagines and brings new ideas or forms into being.
- Lover: The connector who values intimacy, passion, and deep relationships.
- Innocent: The pure-hearted idealist who believes in goodness and seeks safety or harmony.
- Everyman: The relatable, grounded individual who strives for belonging and authenticity.
Breaking Bad: Power and Consequence
Star Wars: The Seeker and the Swashbuckler
The Sopranos: Power Meets Conscience
Tony Soprano (ESTJ) goes back and forth between Ruler and Outlaw, imposing structure while privately unraveling. Dr. Melfi (INFJ), his therapist, plays a Sage/Caregiver archetype with subtle emotional acuity. Their dynamic reveals how psychological depth and struggle enhances archetypal roles.
Game of Thrones: Transformation and Devotion
Daenerys Targaryen (ENFJ) begins as a visionary Magician and evolves into a commanding Ruler, her idealism slowly replaced by a ruthless clarity of purpose. Her loyal protector Ser Jorah Mormont (ISFJ) embodies the Caregiver/Lover archetype, selfless in service, steadfast to the end. Jon Snow (ISFP), meanwhile, is the Hero as Everyman, humble, reluctant, and deeply guided by inner values. His quiet integrity contrasts Daenerys’s messianic zeal.
The Silence of the Lambs: Order Under Pressure
Clarice Starling (ISTJ) represents the Hero/Sage in a grounded form. She acts not through bravado but through calm discipline and clarity of mission. Her type shapes her path – principled, methodical, and resistant to manipulation – even when confronting unimaginable darkness.
Battlestar Galactica: Identity in Conflict
Sex and the City: Identity and Intimacy
Carrie Bradshaw (ENFP) is a Lover-Creator who seeks meaning and beauty in life’s messiness. Her impulsive idealism and emotional curiosity shape every decision, always in search of “the story.” Miranda Hobbes (INTJ) is a Ruler-Sage—rational, independent, and driven to control the uncontrollable, though eventually softened by experience. Charlotte York (ISFJ) plays the Innocent-Caregiver, fiercely loyal and quietly traditional, holding fast to ideals of love and family. Samantha Jones (ESTP) is an Outlaw-Explorer who rejects convention in favor of autonomy, pleasure, and bold self-expression. Together, they form a constellation of personalities who evolve through shifting life stages, yet remain deeply consistent in how they approach love, friendship, and identity.
Twelve Archetypes are True to Type
Each of these characters is unforgettable not just because of the archetype they represent, but because their behavior within that role is psychologically consistent. Great storytelling bends a character – but never breaks their type.
This distinction matters, especially for coaches, leaders, and teams trying to understand behavior in real time. Consider the archetype of the Magician – the one who transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. In Susanna Clarke’s novel Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, we see two brilliant magicians: Strange, an impulsive and intuitive ENTP, and Norrell, a cautious, methodical ISTJ. Both embody the Magician archetype, yet they do so in radically different ways. Same role. Different and very believable execution.
Below is a list showcasing how these archetypes are inhabited by well-known characters from TV, film, literature, and history – each paired with their likely 4-letter code. What emerges is a rich tapestry of human expression, where the same archetype can look radically different depending on personality type.
Hero
- Captain America – Marvel – ISFJ
- Maximus – Gladiator – ISTJ
- Buffy Summers – Buffy the Vampire Slayer – ESTJ
- Diana Prince (Wonder Woman) – DC Comics – ENFJ
- Aragorn – The Lord of the Rings – INFJ
- Luke Skywalker – Star Wars – INFP
- Rocky Balboa – Rocky – ESFP
Magician
- Gandalf – The Lord of the Rings – INFJ
- Merlin – Arthurian Legend – INTJ
- Yoda – Star Wars – INFJ
- Eliot Waugh – The Magicians – ESFP
- Dr. Strange – Marvel – INTP
- Sherlock Holmes (Cumberbatch) – Sherlock – INTJ
- Dumbledore – Harry Potter – INFJ
- Walter White – Breaking Bad – INTJ
Ruler
- Tywin Lannister – Game of Thrones – ENTJ
- Miranda Priestly – The Devil Wears Prada – INTJ
- Queen Elizabeth II – The Crown – ISFJ
- Tony Stark – Marvel – ENTP
- Michael Corleone – The Godfather – INTJ
- Admiral Adama – Battlestar Galactica – INTJ
Sage
- Spock – Star Trek – INTP
- Atticus Finch – To Kill a Mockingbird – INTJ
- Sherlock Holmes – Sherlock Holmes – INTJ
- Morpheus – The Matrix – INFJ
- Lisa Simpson – The Simpsons – INFJ
- Professor X – X-Men – INFJ
Caregiver
- Samwise Gamgee – The Lord of the Rings – ISFJ
- Marmee March – Little Women – ENFJ
- Molly Weasley – Harry Potter – ESFJ
- Beth March – Little Women – ISFJ
- Forrest Gump – Forrest Gump – ISFP
- Mrs. Hughes – Downton Abbey – ISFJ
- Alfred Pennyworth – The Dark Knight – ISTJ
Outlaw
- Arya Stark – Game of Thrones – ISTP
- Deadpool – Marvel – ENTP
- V – V for Vendetta – INFJ
- Tyler Durden – Fight Club – ENTP
- Thomas Shelby – Peaky Blinders – INTJ
- Michael Corleone – The Godfather – INTJ
- Wolverine – X-Men – ISTP
Jester
- Genie – Aladdin – ENFP
- Jim Halpert – The Office – ENTP
- Michael Scott – The Office – ENFP
- The Joker – The Dark Knight – INTJ
- Chandler Bing – Friends – ENFP
- Ferris Bueller – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off – ESFP
- Jack Sparrow – Pirates of the Caribbean – ESFP
Explorer
- Lara Croft – Tomb Raider – ESTP
- Indiana Jones – Indiana Jones – ESTP
- Frodo Baggins – The Lord of the Rings – INFP
- Han Solo – Star Wars – ESTP
- Mad Max – Mad Max – ISTP
- Katniss Everdeen – The Hunger Games – ISTP
Creator
- Tony Stark – Marvel – ENTP
- Willy Wonka – Charlie & the Chocolate Factory – INFP
- Phoebe Buffay – Friends – INFP
- Frida Kahlo – History – ISFP
- Mozart – History – ESFP
- Leonardo da Vinci – History – INTP
- Shuri – Black Panther – INTP
Lover
- Elizabeth Bennet – Pride & Prejudice – ENFP
- Jack Dawson – Titanic – ENFP
- Juliet Capulet – Romeo & Juliet – ESFP
- Noah Calhoun – The Notebook – ISFP
- Ross Geller – Friends – ISFJ
- Rose Tyler – Doctor Who – ESFJ
- Jamie Fraser – Outlander – ISFP
Innocent
- Amélie Poulain – Amélie – INFP
- Luna Lovegood – Harry Potter – INFP
- Paddington Bear – Paddington – ISFP
- Buddy the Elf – Elf – ENFP
- Anne Shirley – Anne of Green Gables – ENFP
- Steve Rogers (pre-serum) – Marvel – ISFJ
- Forrest Gump – Forrest Gump – ISFP
Everyman
- Pam Beesly – The Office – ISFP
- George Bailey – It’s a Wonderful Life – ENFJ
- Bilbo Baggins – The Hobbit – ISFJ
- Sam Malone – Cheers – ESFP
- Dr. John Watson – Sherlock – ISFP
- Ron Weasley – Harry Potter – ESFP
- Peter Parker (Spider-Man) – Marvel – ISFJ
Twelve Archetypes at Work
This approach of considering archetype and type together opens new possibilities:
- Leadership Development: We all play the Hero at times. But how does an INFP Hero lead differently than an ESTJ Hero? What blind spots emerge? What strengths are hidden?
- Team Dynamics: A team may have multiple people playing the Sage or the Outlaw – each with different temperamental flavors. Recognizing both the archetypal role and the personality expression helps avoid misattributions.
- Coaching and Growth: Type reveals what’s natural. Archetype shows what’s emerging. Coaching that integrates both can reveal new growth edges: “What archetypal energy are you being called into? And how might your natural style shape that path?”
The opportunity for practitioners, facilitators, and leaders is to stop thinking in silos. This isn’t a battle of systems. It’s a convergence.
Anyone can be a Hero or a Jester. But only you can play it your way.
That’s the real power: when people recognize the roles they’re playing – and learn to play them in alignment with who they really are.
Please add your favorite characters from TV shows, movies, etc. and what you think their archetype and 4-letter code is. There are plenty of characters yet to be drawn!
Note: Some systems include an expanded set of 24 archetypes (e.g., Seeker, Destroyer, Fool), but this article focuses on the 12-core framework popularized by Carol S. Pearson.
