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Theanima and animus are a pair ofdualistic,Jungian archetypes which form asyzygy, or union of opposing forces.Carl Jung described the animus as theunconscious masculine side of a woman, and the anima as the unconscious feminine side of a man, each transcending the personalpsyche.[1] They are consideredanimistic parts within theSelf, with Jung viewing parts of the self as part of the infinite set of archetypes within thecollective unconscious.[2]
Anima and animus are described inanalytical psychology andarchetypal psychology under the umbrella oftranspersonal psychology.[3] Modern Jungian clinical theory under these frameworks considers a syzygy-without-its-partner to be likeyin withoutyang. The goal is to become integrated over time into a well-functioning whole, similar topositive psychology's understanding of a well-tuned personality through something like aGoldilocks principle.[1] For men, this involves acceptingeros, or desire for connection; for women, this means developinglogos, or reason and rationality. A therapist's empatheticcountertransference can reveal thatlogos and/oreros are in need of repair through apsychopomp guide to mediate between theunconscious and conscious of theidentified patient's Self.
In Jung's theory, the anima makes up the totality of the unconsciousfeminine psychological qualities that a man possesses and the animus themasculine ones possessed by a woman. Jung's theory states that the anima and animus are the two primaryanthropomorphicarchetypes of theunconscious mind, as opposed to thetheriomorphic and inferior function of theshadow archetypes. He did not believe they were an aggregate of father or mother, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, or teachers, though these aspects of the personal unconscious can influence a person's anima or animus. He believed they are the abstract symbol sets that formulate the archetype of the Self.
Jung believed a male's sensitivity is often lesser or repressed, and therefore considered the anima one of the most significant autonomouscomplexes. Jung believed that the anima and the animus manifest themselves by appearing in dreams and influence a person's attitudes and interactions with the opposite sex. A natural understanding of another member of the opposite sex is instilled in individuals that stems from constant subjection to members of the opposite sex. This instillment leads to the development of the anima and animus.[4] Jung said that "the encounter with theshadow is the 'apprentice-piece' in the individual's development ... that with the anima is the 'masterpiece'".[5] Jung viewed the anima process as being one of the sources of creative ability. In his bookThe Invisible Partners,John A. Sanford said that the key to controlling one's anima/animus is to recognize it when it manifests and exercise our ability to discern the anima/animus from reality.[6]
The related Greek wordanemos means "wind" for both anima and animus;pneuma is another word for wind, meaning "spirit".[7]
Jung definesanima with its Latin derivation, meaning "soul".[7] Jung associates anima withAphrodite,Selene,Persephone,Hecate,Minerva, andPandora.[8]
Jung began using the term in the early 1920s to describe the inner feminine side of men.
["A]nima is thearchetype of life itself. (1954, par. 66)[".][9]
— Carl Jung
Jung definesanimus with its Latin derivation, meaning "spirit".[7] In 1923, it began being used as a term in Jungian psychology to describe the masculine side of women.[10]
Jung believed anima development has four distinct levels ofEros, which inThe Practice of Psychotherapy he namedEve,Helen of Troy,Mary, mother of Jesus andSophia.[11] In broad terms, the entire process of anima development in a man is about the male subject opening up to emotionality, and in that way a broaderspirituality, by creating a new consciousparadigm that includesintuitive processes, creativity and imagination, and psychicsensitivity towards himself and others where it might not have existed previously.[citation needed]
The first isEve, named after theGenesis account ofAdam and Eve. It deals with the emergence of a man's object of desire.The anima is completely tied up with woman as provider of nourishment, security and love.
The man at this anima level cannot function well without a woman, and is more likely to be controlled by her or, more likely, by his own imaginary construction of her.[citation needed][12]
The second isHelen, an allusion toHelen of Troy inGreek mythology. In this phase, women are viewed as capable of worldly success and of being self-reliant, intelligent and insightful, even if not altogether virtuous. This second phase is meant to show a strong schism in external talents (cultivated business and conventional skills) with lacking internal qualities (inability for virtue, lacking faith or imagination).[citation needed]
The third phase isMary, named after the Christian theological understanding of theVirgin Mary (Jesus' mother). At this level, women can now seem to possess virtue by the perceiving man (even if in an esoteric and dogmatic way), in as much as certain activities deemed consciously unvirtuous cannot be applied to her.[citation needed]
The fourth and final phase of anima development isSophia, named after the Greek word forwisdom. Complete integration has now occurred, which allows women to be seen and related to as particular individuals who possess both positive and negative qualities. The most important aspect of this final level is that, as the personification "Wisdom" suggests, the anima is now developed enough that no single object can fully and permanently contain the images to which it is related.[citation needed]
Jung focused more on the man's anima and wrote less about the woman's animus. Jung believed that every woman has an analogous animus within herpsyche, this being a set of unconscious masculine attributes and potentials. He viewed the animus as being more complex than the anima, postulating that women have a host of animus images whereas the male anima consists only of one dominant image.
Jung stated that there are four parallel levels of animus development in a woman.[13]
The animus "first appears as a personification of mere physical power – for instance as an athletic champion ormuscle man, such as 'the fictional jungle heroTarzan'".[14]
In the next phase, the animus "possesses initiative and the capacity for planned action ... theromantic man – the 19th century British poetByron; or theman of action – America'sErnest Hemingway, war hero, hunter, etc."[15]
In the third phase "the animus becomes theword, often appearing as a professor or clergyman ... the bearer of the word –Lloyd George, the great political orator".[15]
"Finally, in his fourth manifestation, the animus is the incarnation ofmeaning. On this highest level he becomes (like the anima) a mediator of ... spiritual profundity".[16] Jung noted that "in mythology, this aspect of theanimus appears asHermes, messenger of the gods; in dreams he is a helpful guide." Like Sophia, this is the highest level of mediation between the unconscious and conscious mind.[citation needed] In the bookThe Invisible Partners,John A. Sanford said that the key to controlling one's anima/animus is to recognize it when it manifests and exercise our ability to discern the anima/animus from reality.[6]
Hillman states thatanima can mean "tawdry, trite, trivial, barren, and cheap".[17] Hillman states thatanimus "refers to spirit, to logos, word, idea, intellect, principle, abstraction, meaning,ratio,nous."[18] Hillman proposes "another definition of anima:archetype of psyche.[19]
The four roles are not identical with genders reversed. Jung believed that while the anima tended to appear as a relatively singular female personality, the animus may consist of a conjunction of multiple male personalities: "in this way the unconscious symbolizes the fact that the animus represents a collective rather than a personal element".[20]
The process of animus development deals with cultivating an independent and non-socially subjugated idea of self by embodying a deeperword (as per a specific existential outlook) and manifesting this word. To clarify, this does not mean that a female subject becomes more set in her ways (as this word is steeped in emotionality, subjectivity, and a dynamism just as a well-developed anima is) but that she is more internally aware of what she believes and feels, and is more capable of expressing these beliefs and feelings. Thus the "animus in his most developed form sometimes ... make[s] her even more receptive than a man to new creative ideas".[21]
Both final stages of animus and anima development have dynamic qualities (related to the motion and flux of this continual developmental process), open-ended qualities (there is no static perfected ideal or manifestation of the quality in question), and pluralistic qualities (which transcend the need for a singular image, as any subject or object can contain multiplearchetypes or even seemingly antithetical roles). They also form bridges to the next archetypal figures to emerge, as "the unconscious again changes its dominant character and appears in a new symbolic form, representing theSelf".[22]
Jung's theory of anima and animus draws from his theory of individuation. In order for a person to reach the goal of individuation is to engage in a series of intrapersonal dialogues which help the person understand how he or she relates to the world. This process requires men and women to become aware of their anima or animus respectively, in so doing the individual will learn how not to be controlled by their anima or animus. As individuals are made aware of their anima or animus, it allows them to overcome thoughts of who they ought to be and accept themselves for who they really are. According to Jung, individuals can discover a bridge to the collective unconscious through the development of their anima or animus. The anima and the animus represent the unconscious. The anima and animus are not gender specific and men and women can have both, however, more empirical research is required to determine whether both men and women do possess both archetypes.[23]
Jungians warn that "every personification of the unconscious—theshadow, the anima, the animus, and the Self—has both a light and a dark aspect. ... the anima and animus have dual aspects: They can bring life-giving development and creativeness to the personality, or they can cause petrification and physical death".[24]
One danger is what Jung termed "invasion" of the conscious by the unconscious archetype: "Possession caused by the anima ... bad taste: the anima surrounds herself with inferior people".[25] Jung insisted that "a state of anima possession ... must be prevented. The anima is thereby forced into the inner world, where she functions as the medium between the ego and the unconscious, as does thepersona between the ego and the environment".[26]
Alternatively, over-awareness of the anima or animus could provide a premature conclusion to the individuation process—"a kind of psychological short-circuit, to identify the animus at least provisionally with wholeness".[27] Instead of being "content with an intermediate position", the animus seeks to usurp "the self, with which the patient's animus identifies. This identification is a regular occurrence when the shadow, the dark side, has not been sufficiently realized".[27]
[A]nd dramatic behavior of the archetypes Jung named theanima and theanimus. [..] so in Jung's vision of the psyche the anima/animus 'syzygy' of archetypes uses personal relations to achieve, finally, a bridge to the great transpersonal Self.
(a) Four stages of eroticism were known in the late classical period: Hawwah (Eve), Helen (of Troy), the Virgin Mary, and Sophia.
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