An archetype is a generic, idealized model of a person, object, or concept from which similar instances are derived, copied, patterned, or emulated. In psychology, an archetype is a model of a person, personality, or behavior. This article is about personality archetypes, as described in literature analysis and the study of the psyche.In the analysis of personality, the term archetype is often broadly used to refer to
a stereotype—personality type observed multiple times, especially an oversimplification of such a type; or
an epitome—personality type exemplified, especially the "greatest" such example.
a literary term to express details.
However, in a strict linguistic sense, an archetype is merely a defining example of a personality type. The accepted use of archetype is to refer to a generic version of a personality. In this sense "mother figure" can be considered an archetype and instances can be found in various female characters with distinct (non-generic) person
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype