Do you sometimes feel people are more selfish than selfless these days?
Moreover, do you feel guilty and worry that people might think you’re selfish for taking care of yourself?
Or are you driven to help others because you have a genuine desire to improve the lives of others and make a meaningful contribution to the world?
If any of the above conditions resonate with you, you are experiencing an aspect of your personality that Libera Mente has chosen to call the Philanthropist.
At its highest level of development, the Philanthropist archetype embodies selflessness, compassion and unconditional love.
This is not the kind of person who helps an elderly neighbour across the road because they are desperate for thanks or to demonstrate what a kind and thoughtful person you are.
You do it because you genuinely care about the wellbeing of others.
In its fullness, the Philanthropist archetype is imbued with unconditional love, which enables you to be selfless. This is the part of your personality that gives because giving feels natural.
When this archetype is psychologically mature, you feel emotionally fulfilled and psychologically secure. In this state of conscious evolution, you have everything you need.
You do not need recognition, affection or validation from other people because your sense of worth comes from within. As a result, you can offer your time, energy and resources without secretly wondering what you will get in return.
The Philanthropist understands an important principle: you cannot genuinely give what you do not have.
When developed, this archetype does not try to rescue everyone, solve every problem or carry the weight of the world on its shoulders. Instead, it recognises where its support can make a genuine difference.
What Is the Function of the Philanthropist Archetype?
Alongside the Ruler and the Warrior, the Philanthropist is one of the three ruling archetypes. Its primary function is to help guide decision-making — particularly decisions involving people, relationships, values and emotional needs.
As I explained in this piece, the Ruler is the chief decision-maker — or at least it should be. In neurological terms, the Ruler is the neocortex, or Thinking Brain. Ideally, this is the part of the brain you want making your decisions.
The Philanthropist, on the other hand, is the Emotional Brain.
Where the Ruler tends to approach decisions through reason, structure and strategic thinking, the Philanthropist brings emotional intelligence and intuition into the equation.
Emotions play an important role in decision-making.
The Philanthropist asks questions such as:
- What is the right thing to do?
- How will this decision affect other people?
- What genuinely serves the greater good?
- What feels right at a deeper level?
Emotions can provide valuable information. They tell us about our needs, values and relationships, and they can alert us when something is out of alignment.
However, there is a catch.
The Philanthropist archetype must learn the difference between emotional intelligence and emotional impulsiveness.
Feelings can provide valuable guidance, but fear, guilt, anger and anxiety can distort perception and lead to poor decisions. Making every decision based on how you feel in the moment is a little like appointing a toddler as chief executive. There may be plenty of passion, but long-term strategy could be in short supply.
The mature Philanthropist learns to listen to emotions without becoming controlled by them.
Its function, therefore, is to combine compassion with discernment and passion with sound judgement.
The Developed Philanthropist: Selfless Without Being Self-Sacrificing
At its best, the Philanthropist archetype is a thoughtful leader, connects easily with others, cares about the quality of life you have for yourself and others and has the capacity to develop meaningful relationships.
This archetype, therefore, is a culmination of the three personable archetypes and reflects all the best or worst qualities of them, namely: the Caretaker, Lover and Everyman.
Developing the Philanthropist involves being selfless.
You genuinely want to improve the lives of others, but you do not need people to depend on you. You can offer support without becoming emotionally entangled in somebody else’s problems or do something for someone because you want them to like you.
This is an important distinction.
The developed Philanthropist serves people without needing anything in return. Because you are imbued with unconditional love, you also have the full capacity to be unconditionally selfless.
The undeveloped Philanthropist, on the other hand, needs people to need them. What you may believe is an act of selflessness is actually a subtle form of selfishness that you’re not seeing.
For example, the thought pops into your head that you should help someone less fortunate than you, and you are in a position to help because you have the time, energy and resources to do so.
However, accompanying the thought to help someone is a secondary thought that you want to be seen doing something good, something praiseworthy.
In this scenario, your motivation for helping others is driven by a need to validate your sense of self-worth because of an unresolved emotional wound that causes guilt and shame.
The Philanthropist Archetype: Emotional Fulfilment and Inner Security
Your motivation to help others, therefore, is something you need to observe to determine whether your Philanthropist is developed or undeveloped.
Take a look at this quote by the Australian biologist Jeremy Griffith:
Thought-Provoking Quote
“In the case of humans, we don’t have selfish instincts like other species, rather we have unconditionally selfless instincts. And the selfishness that is characteristic of so much of nature is only occurring because of the limitation of the gene-based refinement process — its inability, in most situations, to develop unconditional selfishness. The genetic process would develop unconditionally selfless, fully cooperative behaviour between all sexually reproducing individuals if it could —because such selfishness is what is required to maintain a fully integrated whole — but, because of its particular limitation, it’s normally can’t. Intuitive selfishness, not divisive selfishness, is the real nature or characteristic of existence, theme of life.”
~ Jeremy Griffith, Freedom: The End of the Human Condition (2015)
In his groundbreaking book, Freedom, Griffith explains that humans are innately selfless, which he describes as “…self-sacrificing commitment to the maintenance of the larger whole.” (Ibid, p.187, para 321 and 322)
Griffith explains that our earliest ancestors were obedient to their instincts, but the biological development of the intellect divided mankind from our innate selfless nature. “…our conscious intellect challenged our instincts for control, that a terrible battle broke out between our instincts and intellect, the effect of which was the extremely competitive, selfish and aggressive state that we call the human condition (Ibid, p.143, para 248)
A psychologically mature Philanthropist is comfortable with who they are. There are no threats to your emotional survival which the Emotional Brain protects. You are governed by your innate nature and feel fulfilled by everything you have in life even if you do not have any material possessions.
In other words, you have let go of unhealthy emotional attachments and operate from a place of inner security rather than insecurity.
Your motivation to help others comes from a genuinely altruistic place, compassion rather than a compulsion for recognition.
As a result, the Philanthropist can become a powerful force for positive change in your world and the lives of others.
This archetype is capable of thinking deeply about the future, generating ambitious ideas and inspiring others to support a meaningful vision. The Philanthropist may not always possess every practical skill needed to turn an idea into reality, but they can recognise potential, bring people together and motivate others to contribute.
People are often drawn to the Philanthropist personality because they believe your intentions are well-placed. You are humble, sincere, conscientious and approachable. You listen to others, recognise strengths and help people to improve their quality of life, skills and career opportunities.
How to Recognise the Developed Philanthropist
The Philanthropist archetype is psychologically developed when a person:
- Gives without expecting recognition or validation in return.
- Helps others without needing to rescue them
- Feels secure with your identity, weaknesses and self-worth
- Makes decisions based on genuine needs rather than emotional attachments
- Can distinguish intuition from impulsiveness
- Inspires people through sincerity and a meaningful vision
- Uses time, energy and resources wisely
- Adapts to changing circumstances
- Treats people as equals rather than as projects in need of repair
The developed Philanthropist can also explore the depths of emotion and develop a feeling for people, ideas and situations. Rather than constantly looking outside for reassurance, the mature Philanthropist learns to trust your inner guide — the Divine Child.
This does not mean abandoning reason and wandering through life waiting for the universe to send instructions through a cloud formation.
It means becoming sufficiently self-aware to recognise when something is genuinely aligned with your values and when an emotional reaction is being driven by fear, guilt or insecurity.
The developed Philanthropist can also adapt to the flow of life. Like a river finding a route around an obstacle, this archetype can approach challenges from different directions and adjust its course when circumstances change.
The Undeveloped Philanthropist: When Compassion Has a Hidden Agenda
When the Philanthropist remains psychologically undeveloped, its natural desire to help others can become distorted by insecurity, emotional wounds and an unconscious need for recognition.
Instead of genuine selflessness, helping others may become a way of compensating for feelings of inadequacy.
The undeveloped Philanthropist often experiences a deep dissatisfaction with life.
You may feel ambitious and believe you are capable of achieving something significant, yet become frustrated that life has not delivered the level of success, influence or recognition you expected.
Deep down, you may feel that you are meant for more.
The problem is that this belief can be driven by two opposing psychological forces: an inferiority complex and a superiority complex.
Early experiences may have contributed to feelings of inadequacy. Perhaps your abilities were overlooked, you felt overshadowed by siblings or peers, or you received insufficient emotional support to develop confidence and practical life skills.
As a result, you learned to question whether you were capable, intelligent or worthy of success.
To compensate for these uncomfortable feelings, the psyche may develop an inflated sense of self-importance.
In other words, if feeling like a nobody is unbearable, convincing yourself that you’re somebody extraordinarily special can become an attractive alternative.
Unfortunately, this is not genuine confidence. It’s a psychological defence mechanism psychologists call the messiah complex.
What is the Messiah Complex?
I’ve written an in-depth piece about the Messiah complex, so I won’t go into too much detail again here. If what you read next resonates with you, click the link at the end of the section to learn more about the Messiah complex.
Essentially, this complex makes you feel compelled to rescue people. You become so emotionally entangled in the problems of others that you legitimately believe you are uniquely capable of rescuing them.
The more people depend on you, the more important you feel.
And therein is your insight into a gaping wound that has left an emotional void. You need to help someone to feel important. Not second best, but the most important person in their life.
Helping someone because they genuinely need support is compassion.
Helping someone because you need to feel indispensable is a psychological complex.
When the Philanthropist archetype is wounded, this energy can attract people who are in crisis. Your need to rescue others becomes a magnetic force that enables you to temporarily mask feelings of inadequacy.
At its most extreme, you may genuinely begin to believe that you have a unique mission, exceptional destiny or special calling that separates you from ordinary people.
Meanwhile, ordinary people are just trying to make a cup of tea in peace.
The key distinction is motivation.
The developing Philanthropist must learn to ask:
Am I helping because this person genuinely needs support, or because I need to feel important?
That’s not always a comfortable question.
But psychological development rarely involves receiving a certificate that says, “Congratulations, you have absolutely no unconscious motivations.”
Learn more about the Messiah Complex.
How to Recognise the Undeveloped Philanthropist
The Philanthropist archetype may be undeveloped when a person:
- Feels chronically dissatisfied with life
- Craves recognition and admiration
- Has unrealistic expectations of themselves and others
- Becomes frustrated when people do not meet their expectations
- Reacts emotionally and impulsively
- Has a compulsive need to rescue others
- Needs to feel indispensable
- Believes they alone can solve other people’s problems
- Pursues ambitious goals but lacks the practical skills to bring ideas into reality
- The undeveloped Philanthropist may also allow the heart to rule the head
When emotions become overwhelming, long-term commitments and sound judgement can be compromised. Decisions made today create consequences tomorrow.
Developing the Philanthropist Archetype
The ultimate goal of the Philanthropist is to cultivate unconditional love.
This begins with self-reflection.
Before rushing to help others, examine your motivation for offering help. Ask whether your actions are genuinely altruistic or whether there is an unconscious need to feel meaningful to someone.
As the Philanthropist matures, the need to compare yourself with others gradually fades. You begin to value yourself for your contribution rather than your status. You can respect people as equals, celebrate their success and recognise that making a difference does not require you to become the most important person in the room.
Essentially, the need for recognition loses its grip. The superiority complex softens because there is no longer an inferiority complex demanding compensation. The urge to rescue gives way to genuine compassion.
Sometimes, the greatest contribution is simply doing what needs to be done — quietly, sincerely and without expecting applause.
That is the true strength of the developed Philanthropist — the capacity to give without wanting to be recognised for it.
This archetype surfaces as emotion, and when developed, emotions become a source of information that helps the Ruler to make better choices.
The Philanthropist personality understands that changing the world does not always require worldly achievements, but simply being the best person you can be to yourself and the people around you.
Want to know more about the Philanthropist Archetype?
Libera Mente has developed an archetypes program that explains the functions, motivations and emotional wounds that subconsciously influence your life.
You will learn how to recognise whether archetypes like the Philanthropist are developed or undeveloped, and how they shape your experiences in life.
If the Philanthropist archetype described above resonates with you, and you want to overcome persistent conflicts, challenges and problems, sign up for our self-development program today and transform your life by moving Beyond The Comfort Zone.
Each month, you will work with a different archetype and discover whether that part of your personality is helping you to manage your life effectively, or whether it’s too one-sided and unbalanced.
When an archetype is carrying an emotional wound, our archetype model explains what the wound is, how it was caused and how its maladaptive behaviours are creating problems in your life.
More importantly, our self-development program shows you how you can resolve undeveloped parts of your personality and integrate archetypal qualities you need to be more successful, peaceful and fulfilled.
