Discussion Board: Jung’s Archetypes in Breaking Bad (Coursework Sample)

Discussion Board: Jung’s Archetypes in Breaking Bad Author’s Name Department, Institutional Affiliation Course Number: Course Title Instructor’s Name Due Date The TV series Breaking Bad, created by Vince Gilligan, focuses on the life of Walter White (portrayed by Bryan Cranston), a weary high school Chemistry teacher diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. In a last-ditch effort to secure his family’s financial future and assuage his nugatory feelings, he turns to the illegal business of methamphetamine production. An oft mild-mannered Walter slowly turns into a ruthless and barbaric drug kingpin who is stubbornly intent on building a drug empire and outstripping the competition. When we are first introduced to Walter White, his tamed demeanor is clearly conditioned to conform to societal norms. Jung’s persona archetype infers a person’s social mask which develops to facilitate the suppression of strong and primitive impulses. According to Jung, the persona archetype is necessary because it allows the person to adapt to societal and cultural demands. Walter was a high school teacher, a husband, a father, a brother, a neighbor, and a friend, all of which fed into his persona as a middle-class Albuquerque resident. Next, the shadow archetype defines the shadow which implies unacceptable practices both to society and the self. The shadow will also contain inhibited instinctual aspects which a person uses for survival—these are likened to primitive animal instincts (Watts, 2009). Walter, driven by the need to provide for his family before his two years of life expired, portrayed primal aggressiveness which led him to commit a series of murders and felonies and also inflict significant damage to society. The “Self” archetype represents the source and the goal of human living—it is mysterious yet divine. When Walter goes into the drug business, he...