The Hero Within is no learned treatise, but its sheer accessibility has made Jungian archetypal psychology understood by a popular audience. Apart from Jung, Pearson admits her large debt to Joseph Campbell, the mythologist who made popular the idea of ‘the hero’s journey’ (see The Power of Myth) and James Hillman (see The Soul’s Code).

Carl Jung pioneered the idea of archetypes, described as ‘imprints of possibility’ which are available for everyone to access. Consider Pearson’s six archetypes, which she discusses in detail:

Pearson’s most interesting observation is her belief that we are moving from a Warrior to a Magician culture. The former is characterised by the ethos of ‘getting ahead’, even if what we get ceases to mean much or do us much good. The Magician is more open to change and transformation, less set in its ways, and instead of trying to be a winner in the existing, less than perfect world, is willing to create a new world. Where Warriors strategise, using will and tenacity to make change, the Magician envisions, believing that the power of the vision will create its own momentum. Which is better? To the extent that the Magician is enlisting forces greater than himself, Magician-ship would ultimately seem more powerful. Most people would prefer to produce magic than fight battles.