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Sylvia Rose

Anima & Animus: Gender Archetypes

Updated: Jul 13

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 longer 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.



strange hostile clown


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.



three geners washrooms


The anima and the animus arise from the unconscious and are not considered gender specific. They manifest according to the biological gender of the person. A gay man has an anima and a gay woman has animus.


The animus and anima are not real people and have no will of their own. Like all archetypes they manifest symbols in visual or other forms. These are colored by life experiences of the individual. Integration begins with awareness of the archetypes and their activity.



unhealthy archetypes
Found a couple ...

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.



hanging with friends


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









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