ABSTRACT
The Jungian concept of archetype implies that we are motivated to notice objects, events, or people who correspond to our evolutionarily based unconscious latent images. For example, Jung (1969) wrote about the demon archetype. Human beings have a readiness to perceive human or animal creatures as demons and to react to them accordingly. They might be repelled by them, or may be held in fascination. Archetypes seem to follow the rules of schematic perception such that when there is enough similarity between an object and an archetype, the object will be seen as an exemplar of the archetype. In accordance with Piaget’s (1952) principles of assimilation and accommodation, objects that are reasonably similar to schemas or archetypes will be misperceived or misremembered slightly so that they actually do fit the schema. This is the process of assimilation. Also, perceptions that are assimilated to schemas can, by varying from the schema in small ways, actually change the schema. Piaget referred to this process as accommodation. The schema changes to accommodate the perception of the object.
