Archetypal evolution and “new birth” from codependency

The “new birth “ archetype has exerted tremendous influence upon public consciousness across time and culture. Examination of Melody Beattie's codependency recovery rhetoric may indicate the contemporary evolution of this significant rhetorical form. Beattie employs this unique “new birth” drama to raise codependents' consciousness about their condition and to inspire and sustain their commitment to recovery. Treated as a case study of archetypal evolution, her version of “new birth “ sheds farther light on the process of symbolic convergence.