Caregiver archetype master the saying: “you will love your neighbor as yourself and protect and care for others.” They fear to become selfish and feel ingratitude. That is the reason they always are doing things for others. Sometimes they overstep and become martyrs or at leat are exploited in some way. Their setting is being protective, controlling, homey. For some reason, they are often displayed with food, things that comfort, pets, health care items, soft couches, fireplaces, and big comfortable tables. The caregiver archetype appears in many guises and names, including saint, altruist, parent, helper, supporter, mother, sidekick, caretaker, protector, helper, philanthropist, and good samaritan.
“The very first requirement in a hospital is that it should do the sick no harm.” Florence Nightingale.
Florence Nightingale was the founder of modern nursing and a successful social reformer. Her earliest public prominence came in the Crimean War, where she was a nurse tending to wounded soldiers. She was given the name “The lady with the lamp” because of her nightly rounds of the wards. She was responsible for reforms which improved healthcare across all sectors of society, she advocated better healthcare and hunger relief in India, she fought for improvements to the laws governing the lives of prostitutes and also for the expansion of female participation in the workforce.
Five years after Florence established a nursing school, the Salvation Army was founded by William and Catherine Booth (in 1865). The Salvation Army is a Christian denomination (operating in 126 countries today) known for its charity work and shops, as well as its quasi-military structure. Its stated objectives are “the relief of poverty, and other charitable objects beneficial to society or the community of mankind as a whole.” The “whole” is important here, as although the Salvation Army has a christian mission, it does work with many of the most disadvantaged and neglected people in the countries where it works.
In mythology, Mother Earth is a Caregiver archetype as are many goddesses of fertility, harvest, and nature. In Asia, the goddess of rice is also associated with compassion and families, appearing as GuanYin in China and Sri Dewi in Indonesia, among other names. In The Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, Galadriel is the caregiver, providing protection and shelter for the travelers. In the Harry Potter films, Hermione is often protective and nurturing of the other characters, and Professor Minerva McGonagall is protective of Harry in particular. In the original Star Wars films, the Caregiver role is taken by Princess Leia.
This is an excerpt of my full article.
