Tashinga Sakala

Jungian Archetypes

Individual: Kim Namjoon

Theory: Jung’s Archetypes

Kim Namjoon also formerly known as Rap Monster and now known as RM, is the

current leader and main rapper of the Korean boy group BTS. He is well known for his

intellectual nature and his musical capabilities; however, his chosen art form may not have come

to be if he had forced himself to stick to his persona archetype. While presenting a speech at the

United Nations Namjoon stated that around the age of nine or ten “I stopped looking up at the

night skies, the stars. I stopped daydreaming. Instead, I just tried to jam myself into the molds

that other people made” (Allaire, 2018, para. 3). This is when his persona manifested. Jung

defined the persona as “an element of the personality which arises ‘for reasons of adaptation or

personal convenience’ ” (Journal Psyche [JP] n.d., para. 21). At a young age Namjoon developed

a persona in order to adapt to the expectations he deemed those around him had. This persona

was one of a studious student and one who put all his best attributes forward, as he was already

an intelligent child.

Although he was able to get back to his dreams and aspirations, this need for a persona can

still be seen today. When on stage and being recorded, Kim Namjoon is usually displaying

himself either as the quiet brooding intellectual, or on the flip side an almost naively optimistic

individual. This may be two masks or personas that he believes are to be good qualities that

people watching are looking for. His persona archetypes, however, are balanced by his shadow

archetype. Jung stated that the shadow is the “source of both our creative and destructive

energies” (McLeod, 2018, para. 21). Contrary to his work persona, Namjoon has admitted to

suffering from depressive episodes and serious self-doubt. Even before admitting to it, these
themes could be found in his lyrics. As this is his art-form and the shadow is the source of our

creative energy, these lyrics may not have allows been a conscious decision to write. His

unconscious may have just been using his art as an outlet for any repressed emotions. His

persona’s which now revolve around work that brings him joy and a feeling of purpose are

balanced out by his shadow as it doesn’t allow him to lose himself in his personas. The persona’s

which can be viewed as the light to his dark, allow his shadow to be more of a creative energy

than a destructive one. A common theme in his music is encouraging his listeners to push past

self-doubt and the pressures societies put on us in order for us to love and live for ourselves.

When looking at Kim Namjoon from the collective unconscious theory for the archetypes, his

most dominant ones would seem to be either The Creator or The Caregiver. His dreams and

visions for his life are very much that of The Creator. He composes music and would rather be

the best rapper than just another intelligent individual. He uses his work to encourage others to

fight for happiness, to chase their own goals, and to use their voices to speak up for what they

believe in, speaking on his need to create work with value and his need to care for those around

him. He is also the leader of his group and often times defaults to the role of caregiver because of

this, especially when they are traveling to other countries. He can be seen in interviews trying to

assure that all members are included in the discussion even if there is a language barrier.
 References

Allaire, C. (2018, September 25). Watch BTS Address the United Nations With an Emotional

Speech About Self-Acceptance. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from

https://www.vogue.com/article/bts-united-nations-speech-love-myself-unicef-campaign

Journal Psyche. (n.d.). The Jungian Model of the Psyche. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from

http://journalpsyche.org/jungian-model-psyche/

McLeod, S. A. (2018, May 21). Carl Jung. Retrieved February 14, 2019, from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/carl-jung.html