The anima and animus have dual aspects. They can bring life-giving development and creativeness to the personality, or they can cause petrification and death. Invasion of the conscious by the unconscious anima / animus can be disruptive.
The possessing principle surrounds itself with inferior people and pettiness. Fears and insecurities arise as the individual strives for betterment while the anima / animus is pushed down or repressed. Self-sabotage can happen here.
Forced into the inner world the anima / animus becomes the medium between ego or consciousness, and the unconscious, much as the persona functions between the ego and the environment. Unhealthy self-talk can happen here.
Alternatively, over-awareness of the anima or animus can cause a disruption, sabotage or abort the process of individuation (the way a person becomes unique). It causes psychological overload. The anima / animus is no long satisfied being a go-between.
The animus can usurp the self. This can easily happen if the shadow, or dark side, has not been fully realized or integrated. To reach the goal of individuation it's important to understand how the individual relates to the world.
During the process of individuation women and men become aware of the animus or anima. By realizing the role of this archetype, through self-study and empirical observation, the individual learns to confront and disempower unhealthy influences.
Becoming more fully aware of the anima or animus of the unconscious, a person can rise above feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt. As confidence takes the place of overactive fears, the person is more vibrant in the moment and interactions with others.
The anima and the animus arise from the unconscious and are not considered gender specific. A male person can have an animus, a female an anima. A gay man can have an animus holding him back from self-realization or an anima who (for example) takes needless risks.
A woman might have an anima or female aspect who manifests as disparaging or needy, or an animus who brings out a dark side of her nature. These are not representative of real people. Integration begins with awareness of these archetypes and their activity.
It's suggested men and women can have both archetypes. No one is sure yet, but the possibility exists.
"... begin by eliminating the impossible, and whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truth."
Sherlock Holmes
Jungian psychology sees the anima manifestation as a unique but ego-attached female personality. The animus may be a mix of different male personalities. In this way the unconscious expresses a collective or cumulative nature of issues rather than personal.
Identification of the effects of the animal / animus lets people accept themselves for who they really are. Individuals can discover a bridge to the collective unconscious by working with the nature of anima or animus, knowing these have dark and light sides.
A natural understanding of the "opposite sex" is instilled in individuals from an early age. It's formed by continual interactions with members of the species. This instilment is important to the development of the anima and animus.
Jung says,
"the encounter with the shadow is the 'apprentice-piece' in the individual's development ... that with the anima is the 'masterpiece'".
The anima process is one of the sources of creative ability. The key to controlling one's anima / animus is to recognize it when it manifests, and learn to differentiate the anima / animus from reality.
Non-Fiction Books:
Fiction Books:
READ: Cult of the Fire God - Bronze Age Quest Adventure
READ: Lora Ley Adventures - Germanic Mythology Fiction Series
READ: Reiker For Hire - Victorian Detective Murder Mysteries