Definition
Anima and animus are the Latin words for “soul” and “spirit,” respectively, and Jung used these terms to designate the innate contra-sexual archetypes in the collective unconscious. The anima is the unconscious feminine image in men, and the animus is the unconscious masculine image in women.
Introduction
Jung holds to a balance view of the psyche much like the concept of homeostasis in biology. Consequently, for men, since their consciousness is male, a compensatory feminine component is needed in their unconscious to keep their psyche in balance. Conversely for women, since their consciousness is female, a compensatory masculine component is needed in their unconscious to keep their psyche in balance. Understandably then, accessing these archetypal energies is necessary for psychological growth and development (see Jung 1935/ 1990; 1954/1990; 1951/1989).
The Place of Projection
When the anima and animus archetypes are operating...
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References
Johnson, R. (1989a). He: Understanding masculine psychology. New York: Harper & Row.
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Jung C. G. (1951/1989). The syzygy: Anima and animus. In Aion: Researches into the phenomenology of the self (pp. 11–22). CW 9ii. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
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Merchant, J. (2020). Anima/Animus. In: Zeigler-Hill, V., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24612-3_1361
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