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differences - "Archetype" vs. "stereotype"


In terms of usage, is it fair to say that an archetype is a broader description of a class than a stereotype?


Here’s a reference to the usage of archetype becoming blurry in my mind.


Mindy Kaling, in a New York Times article called “Flick Chicks”, describes different types of women characters who show up repeatedly in chick flicks. At one point, she refers to the Woman-Who-Runs-An-Art-Gallery type as a film archetype yet her description of this archetypal character is quite one dimensional. Would stereotype be a better term for these chick flick “archetypes”? The piece has a satirical tone, so I do admit that she overstates at times for effect.



Answer



From OED:


archetype - the original pattern or model from which copies are made; a prototype ... an assumed ideal pattern.


stereotype - a preconceived and oversimplified idea of the characteristics which typify a person, situation, etc.; an attitude based on such a preconception. Also, a person who appears to conform closely to the idea of a type.


I think there are two key differences here...





  1. Archetype is normally a pre-existing model, from which future copies/examples are created. Stereotype is a "conceptual model" created by abstracting the key features of current examples.




  2. Archetype is normally a positive description (but sometimes it may be simply a neutral term). Stereotype is invariably negative/pejorative. It's rarely neutral, and almost never positive.





It seems to me OP is already aware of that difference. He wants to call his example a stereotype rather than an archetype because the portrayal is "quite one dimensional". The implication is he sees the assessment as oversimplified, rather than accurately embodying the salient features.


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