The Hero's Journey ≠ Primal Quest
You are the Hero
There are other quests beside the . One of the most important is the quest to «find yourself»: also referred to as the Hero's Journey. To add to the confusion, one or more are often regarded as a stage within the Hero's Journey.
Differences
have no end. There is no meaning to «successful completion» of a , because its pursuit is the primordial source of happiness or meaning in life. Episodes in the do reach conclusions, but no sooner is an episode concluded than a new expression of the same is sought or generated.
So the most obvious difference is that the Hero's Journey, like all good stories, comes to an end. The person finds a place in their society (or fails to do so). The search for self results in self-discovery (or is abandoned).
See comparison of the Hero's Journey and a in the Table below.
Your Journey
The Hero's Journey is a mythical statement of your obligation to grow up and take your place in society. This Journey is required to determine who you are, what you can do, what you want to do, what you should be like—even what your is. None of these aspects of personal maturation can be taken for granted and they do not get effortlessly handed to you.
On leaving the safety and care of your family you enter a puzzling and difficult world: one that was not created or specifically adapted to suit you. You have to make your own way in life. Superficially, you make a life for yourself by pursuing your endeavours, which means dealing with others and handling dangers. However, each of us invariably discovers that our Journey is an inner challenge and struggle that is peculiarly our own—even if we see others undergoing something similar.
You are the hero of your own life and your journey is necessary and unavoidable. You can and will engage with it, for better or worse, like it or not.
More Details
Life is an adventure, one in which each of us is the hero. This experience is at the heart of mythologies. Myths describe in colourful, imaginative terms the way we develop and find our true self. In the society where the myth is alive, it provides a model for how to «be a person» and successfully handle life's challenges. It also reveals the penalties for failure.
The Journey has phases, described differently by different authors. Joseph Campbell, oriented to mythology, popularized the journey in a famous book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
, and offers 19 stages. Christopher Vogler, oriented to writing stories for films, suggests 12 stages. Both books are great reads. Read a short potted account:►
Comparison
| Primal Quests | The Hero's Journey | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | To provide life's activities with a source of happiness or meaning that transcends time and culture. | To mature as an authentic person, capable of work and trusting relationships, within a given society. |
| Trajectory | Endlessly repeated or continued. | An adventure with a start, a middle and an end. |
| Freedom | Impersonal State: about what is «right» and what is «right for you»; not a journey. | Personal Development: about «self-actualization»; may include finding a . |
| Experience | The is a continuing source of happiness &/or meaning, and stresses are secondary. | Invariably and necessarily stressful, but completing the journey is satisfying. |
| Social relations | The may be used and valued in society, or society may be indifferent to it, or even regard it as anti-social. | The Journey involves handling family, obtaining support and willing helpers/guides, and social integration. |
| Societal Benefit | Varies. Provides ethical-spiritual input for humanity. | High. Leads to socialized and productive individuals. |
| Age Effect | Relevant throughout life, but awareness often only arrives in later life. | Occurs usually in the first half of life: but may start at any age if a person's «true self» has been alienated or cocooned. |
- Distinguish the from idea of archetypes.
Originally posted: 18-May-2012