The Collective Unconscious
The collective unconscious consists of images and behaviors not acquired by the individual during his or her lifetime, rather, they are innate behaviors that are shared by all members of the human species. In other words, behaviors that are hardwired.
These ancestral memories, which Jung called Archetypes, are represented across all cultures and are expressed through human behavior, literature, art, symbols, myth, and dreams. Today, with our advances in Evolutionary Biology and Evolutionary Psychology, we might refer to Archetypes as, universal innate adaptations and behaviors, that humans have integrated into their psyche for hundreds of thousands of years.
According to Carl Jung, and the science of Evolutionary Psychology, the human mind possesses innate adapted characteristics and behaviors which are imprinted as a result of evolution. These universal predispositions stem from our ancestral past. For example, fear of the dark, snakes and spiders, mating preferences, cooperation, sharing resources, protecting our family/kin, developing alliances, cheating behaviors, and competition for resources-are all adapted behaviors.
We can see Archetypes firsthand in newborns. For example, babies are wired to imprint with their own mothers. Babies do not have to be taught to suckle, and if left to their own devices, a newly born baby will actually inch its way up to the breast without assistance. These actions are not learned. They are imprinted deep in the evolved psyche, or the collective unconscious (Robertson, 1992).
Symbols
Visualize our distant ancestors drawing on a cave wall. Perhaps the male hunter draws a wildebeest and symbols of his kill. A young pregnant woman draws the moon as a symbol of fertility. These represent images or Archetypes of strength, life, and power over nature.
Understanding how we relate to Archetypes, helps us discover our unconscious drives and behaviors. We can then stop the dysfunction within ourselves and can choose not to be triggered by others.
References:
Robin Robertson, C.G. Jung and the Archetypes of the Collective Unconscious (New York: Peter Lang, 1987)
What Is Evolutionary Psychology? | Psychology Today
Evolutionary Psychology Primer by Leda Cosmides and John Tooby (ucsb.edu)