1 Psychological archetypes: Harley Quinn and The Two Hit Theory Domina Petric, MD ABSTRACT Harley Quinn is a complex fictional character. She is a psychological archetype of a neurotic woman, coming from dysfunctional family, and who becomes psychotic after falling in love with Joker. The fictional relationship of Harley Quinn and Joker is an example of folie à deux, or shared psychosis. Their relationship is a combination of folie imposée (Joker is a dominant person at the beginning) and folie simultanée (Harley Quinn becomes equally crazy as Joker, if not crazier, and they mutually trigger psychotic symptoms in each other). Psychiatric two hit theory is similar to Knudson two hit cancer hypothesis. In most cases of psychiatric illnesses, two hits are necessary for the development of clinically significant psychiatric disorder. For example, the first hit might be a genetic predisposition and the second hit might be emotional trauma. In the case of Harley Quinn, the first hit is dysfunctional family, and the second hit is the strong influence (transfer) of diabolic Joker. The important goal of preventive psychology and psychiatry is to find individuals that suffered the first hit (for example, psychiatric illnesses in family history, people with any kind of traumatic experience, abused individuals) and to treat them with psychotherapy before the second hit happens. This is a chance to prevent the development of more severe psychiatric illnesses. INTRODUCTION Carl Jung understood archetypes as universal, archaic patterns and images that derive from the collective unconscious and are the psychic counterpart of instinct 1 . They are inherited potentials which are actualized when they enter consciousness as images or manifest in behavior on interaction with the outside world 2 . The existence of archetypes can only be deduced indirectly by using story, art, myths, religions, or dreams 3 . THE STORY ABOUT HARLEY QUINN The 1994 graphic novel ˝The Batman Adventures: Mad Love˝ recounts the character´s origin story. It is written and drawn by Dini and Timm.