User:Mjamesmft/sandbox

Psychologist Mitchell L. Walker first introduced the archetype of The Double in the Jungian journal Spring in 1976. Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst Carl Jung described “archetypes” as a concept from psychology that refers to a universal, inherited idea, pattern of thought, or image that is present in the collective unconscious of all human beings. The psychic counterpart of instinct, archetypes are thought to be the basis of many of the common themes and symbols that appear in stories, myths, and dreams across different cultures and societies.

In his article Walker proposed that the Double is an erotic and spiritual soul figure equal with Jung’s archetypal Anima/Animus in all respects, but of the same sex and not a Shadow. Walker further compared Anima/Animus and the Double as “…equal in all process mechanisms. Psychically, then, both can serve as ‘soul guides.’ Both can be seen in literature, mythology, etc., and are revealed thereby as involved in the process of individuation.” (Spring, 1976, The Double, p. 2) Walker also identified a number of the qualities and functions of the Double, including serving as one’s inner deeper support, a soul-mate of intense warmth and closeness, fuses the fate of two into one, and facilitates rapport, pleasurable camaraderie, and an atmosphere of profound equality and deep familiarity.