The different but overlapping notions of ‘archetypes’ in the work of Carl Jung and Mircea Eliade are outlined, and new ways of understanding the frameworks set out by them are explored in sociological terms. The relevance of ‘Platonic mysticism’ is noted in this context. Spontaneous mystical experience is also considered in this context, especially in relation to a ‘dual-process’ understanding of human cognition and Alister Hardy’s empirical research into religious experience.