Carl Jung and Friends
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Even though revered psychoanalyst Carl Jung passed away a good 30-something years before the hit sitcom Friends aired in 1994, I’ve decided that – surely – he would want me to analyze the show’s six main characters through the lens of his 12 Archetypes of Personality theory. After studying various cultures, Jung developed these personality types, each defined by specific behaviour patterns. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Chandler
This one felt almost too easy. The Jester, of course! Chandler is always good for a laugh and doesn’t take himself seriously. I’m a big fan of anyone that will make a joke, even if they’re the only ones laughing at it (me). He’s had a rough life, and he knows it, but he doesn’t let it define him. “Mrs. Chanandler Bong” certainly subscribes to the belief that laughter is the best medicine.
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Monica
After some careful thought, I’m calling Monica the Caregiver. I mean, pretty much everyone is always at her apartment, where she’s oftentimes cooking or baking. She’s the most maternal of the group, usually being the sounding board for problems and offering advice. I may be slightly biased in seeing her as maternal, solely basing it off the fact that Monica has a smaller vacuum to clean her vacuum and I once caught my mother vacuuming her vacuum.
Joey
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The Lover. I’m not just saying this because Joey is the token womanizer of the show. Yeah, he goes through a lot of relationships. But really, the dude just loves love. He also loves food (but does not share it), and you could argue that food=love. Joey is basically a teddy bear; you can’t help but love the guy.
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Phoebe
Phoebe is the Innocent. However, I found it interesting that Phoebe also technically could be considered the Orphan. I mean, she is almost literally an orphan. Yet, she doesn’t encompass what the Orphan is all about. Therefore, the Innocent she is. She’s ever the optimist. Phoebe sees the best in everyone (for the most part). And really, she just wants happiness. It’s certainly admirable to see that she doesn’t carry her feelings of betrayal and abandonment with her everywhere.
Ross
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Mr. Know-It-All is, for sure, the Sage. He’s a paleontologist first and everything else second (like a father to Ben, who just disappeared?). Ross loves to use and show off his intelligence. It’s the major facet of his personality, and he knows it.
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Rachel
I struggled with Rachel. Looking back, I think she had the most growth of any of the six main characters by far. I had her as the Explorer, but that didn’t feel right. Then she was the Rebel, but that didn’t feel right either. I even typed up a whole spiel about her being the Orphan, but that was only true for her initially. I realized after a while that I had already acknowledged what her perfect fit was. If Rachel had the most growth, of course that would make her the Magician. She’s constantly changing throughout the series and eventually becomes the best possible version of herself. Of course, her mood is contagious as well, for better or worse.
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So, there we have it. Friends, psychoanalyzed. Thank you to my mom for loving the show and watching reruns constantly, meaning I watched reruns constantly as a child and had the many sexual innuendos going over my head. And thank you, Carl Jung, for both this theory and for not making people feel weird about their relationship with their parents (looking at you, Freud).
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Lillian
Lillian is a second year Professional Writing student who has devoted much of her life to immersing herself in different worlds through the eyes of a variety of characters. Some characters she’s loved, some she’s hated, some she’s loved to hate and some she’s hated to love. It’s all in the name of research.
