An Archetype by any other name. 

The references from here on get a little harder to pinpoint. Not totally obscure, mind, but simply takes a little subtlety to recognize it. Now it's the things which gives the game it's namesake to be put under the literary microscope.  Personae. 

The name is fooling, however, since Jung also spoke of personae. His interpretation of them was completely different to how they are represented in the game. To the analysts, personae are the 'masks' people wear when interacting with others. This mask reflects their class, occupation, stature, or whatever the personality wants to represent to others. 
 

In the game. They're hidden facets of the personality in the form of various gods, heroes, and other mythologies.  Not a lot in common, huh? But things are clearer if we go to the theory of archetypes. 

Archetypes are hard to pinpoint, because Jung gives at least three different phenomena under the same name.  But the archetype that fits peronae mosts is that of the symbols. Mythological symbols with psychic (psychological to you paraphobics) energy. The various images are imprinted in the collective unconscious and are the basis for myths, fairy tales and legends. These are, literally, what dreams are made of. And because of their connotations within mythology, the appearence and symbol differ from most races due to differences in legends. Persona (the game) has a little bit of every mythology in their roster of archetypal summons. 
 

Mandala-go-round. 

Not much to say here. The final stage in the collective unconscious is called Monde (world in French) Mandala.  Jung thought mandalas represented a figure of the psyche. Mandalas are elaborate circles drawn in Tibet that aspirant adepts are to meditate on.The designs on them are beautiful, filled with figures of gods and demons, and every monk was to have his own personal mandala, reflecting his psyche. Each part of the Mandala was supposed to reflect a particular part of the microcosm (the person) like anger, reason, sensation, knowledge ect.. 

Hardly surprising that masters of the collective unconscious reside in this place. 
 

Row row row your Tarot.... 

While Jung barely touched the tarothimself, Jungian analysts have done more research on these cards. For CG, the I Ching, an ancient Chinese oracle, represented the interaction ofthe unconsciousness and the consciousness. The analysts after him, seeing the archetypal and alchemical (a huge inspiration for Jung's symbolology) patters in the Tarot, have seen that these cards also represent the same interplay of the various aspects of the psyche. 

Tarots in the game were what demons gave you to summon personae, the archetypes of the psyche. Yay? 
 

....life is but a dream. 

The dichotomy of objective and subjective is questioned throughout the game. As it becomes clear that the difference (in Sumaru at least) is not so clear cut after all. Rumors suddenly become true, archetypes roam freely around town and the doorway to the collecitveunconsciousness is behind a temple door. Persona One also had similar overtones,with the subconscious of Mary creating realities of its own.

Jung called those lapses of realities synchronicity, a causal connection between a subjective and objective, or two objective, principles. These were the explination for meaningful coincidences, and why some omens actually had worth while others didn't.
 

JOKER!!!! 

This.....is a stretch, but the more the merrier. A symbol typically found in the unconsciousness is that of the trickster, due to the elusiveness and incomprehensibility of the psyche.  In Persona, the Joker is a persona born in sin, and an (alleged) form of the big archetype himself, Nyarlathotep. It's also a deceptive little thing that makes people believe their wishes will be fufilled. Rah? 
 

A Winner is-! 

A compatability, it's love like this that makes the angels in the heaven sing hallelujah and throw confetti rom the clouds above in decleration of complete soul mate. It is rare to see such a thing, but Jung and Persona 2 have faced all the philosophical trials and perils and truimphed in the end. 

Jungian thought is extremely popular in Japan, and thus not unlikely to see is popping up in media. But unlike other hacked up poor man's Jung *whistles innocently and points to Evangelion* this game managed to remain true to the philosophy, and hence reunited in pure love!