Animus and Anima: Two Essays

by Emma Jung, Cary F. Baynes (Translator), Hildegard Nagel (Translator)

"On the Nature of the Animus" and "The Anima as an Elemental Being": two classic papers on the psyche written by Emma Jung (1882–1955), psychoanalyst, writer, and wife of C.G. Jung. First published in English in 1955 that are required reading for training Jungian analysts. How do animus and anima, these all-important Jungian concepts, appear in dreams, fantasies, behavior, and mythology? This book maps a way toward an understanding of the union of opposites and the emergence of the self. There is wisdom in Emma Jung’s words, simplicity in her style, and we feel the movement of animus and anima in her soul.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Psychoanalysis, Philosophy

101 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1955

Reviews

[John Kulm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essays by Emma Jung on the animus and on the anima. I took an interest in this book because I wanted to understand, what does it mean if a woman projects her animus onto me and what does it mean if I project the anima onto her, and how do these mysterious internal images make an external affect? I also wanted more insight into the relationship of a woman to her animus and a man to his anima, and that's what this book is all about.

I like to post quotes from the books I’ve read. I’ll include several here. Some will be on how the animus involves itself in a woman’s life in either a positive, creative manner or in a destructive “possession.” Jungian books so often mention ‘animus possession’ of a woman. With the anima, however, rather than using the term ‘possession,’ writers say that she puts a man “under a spell” of obsession or fascination. Emma Jung refers to several myths and fairy tales as examples of the nixie, water-woman or fairy who carries the man away into the unconscious, underwater or into a magical fairyland.

Quotes from the essay on the Animus:

“If the possibility of spiritual functioning is not taken up by the conscious mind, the psychic energy intended for it falls into the unconscious, and there activates the archetype of the animus. Possessed of the energy that has flowed back into the unconscious, the animus figure becomes autonomous, so powerful, indeed, that it can overwhelm the conscious ego, and thus finally dominate the whole personality.” Pg. 6

“Such a total transference of the animus image as that described above creates, together with an apparent satisfaction and completeness, a kind of compulsive tie to the man in question and a dependence on him that often increases to the point of becoming unbearable. This state of being fascinated by another and wholly under his influence is well known under the term ‘transference,’ which is nothing else than projection. However, projection means not only the transference of an image to another person, but also of the activities that go with it, so that a man to whom the animus image has been transferred is expected to take over all the functions that have remained undeveloped in the woman in question, whether the thinking function, or the power to act, or responsibility toward the outside world. In turn, the woman upon whom a man has projected his anima must feel for him, or make relationships for him, and this symbiotic relationship is, in my opinion, the real cause for the compulsive dependence that exists in these cases.” Pg. 10

“What is really necessary is that feminine intellectuality, logos in the woman, should be so fitted into the nature and life of the woman that a harmonious cooperation between the feminine and masculine factors ensues and no part is condemned to a shadowy existence.” Pg. 13

“One of the most important ways that the animus expresses itself, then, is in making judgements, and as it happens with judgements, so it is with thoughts in general. From within, they crowd upon the woman in already complete, irrefutable forms. Or, if they come from without, she adopts them because they seem to her somehow convincing or attractive. But usually she feels no urge to think through and thus really understand the ideas which she adopts and, perhaps, even propagates further. Her undeveloped power of discrimination results in her meeting valuable and worthless ideas with the same enthusiasm or with the same respect, because anything suggestive of mind impresses her enormously and exerts an uncanny fascination upon her. This accounts for the success of so many swindlers who often achieve incomprehensible effects with a sort of pseudo-spirituality. On the other hand, her lack of discrimination has a good side; it makes the woman unprejudiced and therefore she frequently discovers and appraises spiritual values more quickly than a man, whose developed critical power tends to make him so distrustful and prejudiced that it often takes him considerable time to see a value which less prejudiced persons have long since recognized.” Pg. 15

“One of the animus activities most difficult to see through lies in this field, namely, the building up of a wish-image of ourself. The animus is expert at sketching in and making plausible a picture that represents us as we would like to be seen, for example, as the ‘ideal lover,’ the ‘appealing, helpless child,’ the ‘selfless handmaiden,’ the ‘extraordinarily original person,’ the ‘one who is really born to something better,’ and so on. This activity naturally lends the animus power over us until we voluntarily, or perforce, make up our minds to sacrifice the highly colored picture and see ourselves as we really are.” Pg. 18

“The transmission of the unconscious contents in the sense of making them visible is the special role of the anima. It helps the man to perceive these otherwise obscure things. A necessary condition for this is a sort of dimming of consciousness; that is, the establishment of a more feminine consciousness, less sharp and clear than man’s, but one which is thus able to perceive in a wider field things that are still shadowy. Woman’s gift as seer, her intuitive faculty, has always been recognized. Not having her vision brought to a focus gives her an awareness of what is obscure and the power to see what is hidden from a keener eye. This vision, this perception of what is otherwise invisible, is made possible for the man by the anima.” Pp. 25-26

Quotes from the essay on the Anima:

“Being carried away to fairyland is, psychologically, a very important motif. In the Celtic tradition this realm does not have the terrible and fearful character that it possesses elsewhere. … That the anima rules this realm and leads the way to it is well known. The danger of getting lost there, that is, in the unconscious, seems to have been felt even in the early times, for countless stories describe the knight caught in the bonds of love, who forgets his knightly duties and in a self-sufficient twosome with his lady becomes estranged from the world and from reality.
“An extreme example of this kind is the case of the enchanter Merlin, whose beloved, the fairy Vivian, used the magic arts which she learned by eavesdropping upon him, to tie him in invisible bonds and imprison him in a hawthorn bush from which he was never able to escape.
“This story is particularly instructive because the figure of Merlin so very fittingly embodied the consciousness and the thinking faculty which were lacking in the masculine world around him. He was a Luciferian, Mephisto-like being, and as such represented the intellect in statu nascendi, that is, in still primitive form. To this he owed his magic power; but because his feminine side had been neglected, it drew him back in the form of eros, and bound in the toils of nature this man who had identified himself with the logos principle.” Pp. 71-72

Commenting on a Welsh tale of a Nixie:
“The water woman brings her husband prosperity and transmits to her sons a knowledge of healing herbs which is obviously due to her connection with nature.
“Rhys cites countless similar legends connected with definite persons who trace their descent to water women and are proud of it. The taboos are not always the same; sometimes the man may not touch his wife with iron, or he may not speak unfriendly words more than three times, and so on. But always the violation of the condition results from heedlessness, or a fateful accident; it is never intentional.
“Irrational as these conditions may be in themselves, the effect that follows from infringing them is as consistent and invariable as a natural law. For half-human beings like these are part of nature and do not possess the freedom of choice allowed to man, which enables him sometimes to behave in a way that does not correspond to nature’s laws, as, for example, when his behavior is determined by insights and feelings which raise it above the purely natural.” Pg. 62

“The nixie who lives in the water, that is, in the unconscious, represents the feminine in a semi-human, almost unconscious state. In so far as she is married to a man, one may assume that she represents his unconscious, natural anima, together with his undifferentiated feeling, since her transgressions occur in this realm. At the same time it must be noted that she is unadapted not to matters of individual but of collective feeling. It is a fact that one’s unconscious personality components (the anima, animus, and shadow), or one’s inferior function are always those which the world finds offensive, and which are therefore repressed again and again. The nixies disappearance into her element describes what happens when an unconscious content comes to the surface but is still so little coordinated with the ego consciousness as to sink back at the slightest provocation.” Pg. 63

“In this context, too, belongs the revenge which elfin beings take when they are despised or insulted, for they are extremely touchy and likely to persevere in resentments unmodified by any human understanding. The same may be said of the anima, the animus and the undifferentiated functions; indeed, the exaggerated touchiness frequently to be met with in otherwise robust men is a sign of anima involvement. Likewise to be discerned in the anima are the incalculability, mischievousness and frequent malice of these elemental spirits, which constitute the reverse side of their bewitching charm. These beings are simply irrational, good and bad, helpful and harmful, healing and destructive, like nature herself of which they are a part.
“And the anima, as the unconscious, feminine aspect of man, is not alone in showing these qualities; the same can be seen in many women. For woman, in general, because of her biological task, has remained a more elemental being than man, and often manifests this kind of behavior more or less plainly. It is easy for a man to project the anima image to the more elemental women: they correspond so exactly to his own unconscious femininity.” Pp. 63-64

“In recent literature the figure of Antinea in Benoit’s novel, L’Atlantide, most impressively reveals both the serpent and the beast-of-prey aspects of the elemental anima. Fascinating all the men who come her way with the beauty of Venus, the wisdom of the serpent, and the cruelty of the carnivore, she works irresistible magic upon them and without exception they perish. Then their mummified corpses are used to ornament the mausoleum erected especially for the purpose. Antinea claims to have risen from the Lost Atlantis and to be descended from Neptune; hence, like Morgan le Fée and Aphrodite, she is sea-born. She is a purely destructive anima figure; those whom she enchants lose all of their masculine strength and virtue and finally die. As may be seen from these examples, succumbing to the power of the anima always has the same fatal effect and is in a way comparable to the emasculation of the priests of Cybele.” Pg. 78

“In modern dreams and active imagination, the anima also appears frequently in the company of a father figure. This can be taken as an intimation that behind the feminine nature-element there lies a masculine-spiritual factor, to which may be ascribed the knowledge of hidden things possessed by these elemental feminine creatures. Jung calls this factor ‘the Old Wise Man,’ or the ‘archetype of meaning,’ while he designates the anima as the ‘archetype of life.’” Pg. 80

“Both the nature creature and the anima represent the eros principle, the former transmitting hidden knowledge, just as the latter transmits information about the contents of the unconscious. Both exert a fascinating effect and often possess a power overwhelming enough to produce ruinous results, especially when certain condition affecting the relationship broken off or made impossible. Fro this it may be seen that such a tie is a delicate matter, as is also the relation to the anima. Indeed, we know from experience that the anima makes certain demands upon a man. She is a psychic factor that insists on being considered, not neglected as is the general tendency, since a man naturally likes to identify himself with his masculinity.
“However, it is not a question of either surrendering his masculinity completely to the service of the Lady Anima or losing her entirely, but only of granting a certain space to the feminine, which is also a part of his being. This he does by recognizing and realizing the eros, the principle of relationship, which means that he not only becomes aware of his feeling, but also makes use of it, because to create, and especially to preserve, a relationship, a value judgment (which is what feeling is) cannot be dispensed with. A man by nature tends to relate to objects, to his work, or to some other field of interest; but what matters to a woman is the personal relation, and this is true also of the anima. Her tendency is to entangle a man in such relationships, but she can also serve him well in giving them shape – that is, she can do so after the feminine element has been incorporated into consciousness. As long as this element works autonomously, it disturbs relations or makes them impossible.” Pp. 80-81

[Suhaib · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Indeed, I think that without relationship to a person with respect to whom it is possible to orient oneself again and again, it is almost impossible ever to free oneself from the demonic clutch of the animus. In a state of identification with the animus, we [women] think, say, or do something in the full conviction that it is we who are doing it, while in reality, without our having been aware of it, the animus has been speaking through us."

"However, in the field where the creative activity of woman flowers most characteristically, that is, in human relationships, the creative factor springs from feeling coupled with intuition or sensation, more than from mind in the sense of logos. Here, the animus can be actually dangerous, because it injects itself into the relationship in place of feeling, thus making relatedness difficult or impossible. It happens only too frequently that instead of understanding a situation—or another person—through feeling and acting accordingly, we [women] think something about the situation or the person and offer an opinion in place of a human reaction. This may be quite correct, well-intentioned, and clever, but it has no effect, or the wrong effect, because it is right only in an objective, factual way. Subjectively, humanly speaking, it is wrong because in that moment the partner, or the relationship, is best served not by discernment or objectivity but by sympathetic feeling."

"However, projection means not only the transference of an image to another person, but also of the activities that go with it, so that a man to whom the animus image has been transferred is expected to take over all the functions that have remained undeveloped in the woman in question, whether the thinking function, or the power to act, or responsibility toward the outside world. In turn, the woman upon whom a man has projected his anima must feel for him, or make relationships for him, and this symbiotic relationship is, in my opinion, the real cause for the compulsive dependence that exists in these cases."

"For by her unconsciousness, [a] woman exerts a magical influence on man, a charm that lends her power over him. Because she feels this power instinctively and does not wish to lose it, she often resists to the utmost the process of becoming conscious, even though what belongs to the spirit may seem to her extremely worth striving for. Many women even keep themselves artificially unconscious solely to avoid making this sacrifice."

"The anima as a rule is projected first upon a real woman; this may lead the man to enter upon a relation with her that he might otherwise find impossible ... As long as such a projection exists it is naturally difficult for the man to find a relation to the inner anima, to his own femininity."

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has historical interest as an indicator of how an intellectual of the period was dealing with shifts in gender, but it’s drenched in essentialism that seems dated now. In other words, moderately feminist for its time, but not for ours.

[Rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is, I have to assume because I've not read the source material much, a very good if selective distillation of Jung's anima/animus concept. The writing is clear, insightful and rife with interesting and oddly convergent erotic myths and morality tales meant to illustrate the archetypal nature of the psychic characters in question that are historically/anthropologically interesting enough alone to make the work worth reading. My only criticism is that I might have liked more theory and less illustration, but I think she made the right choice for the constraints of the medium; the essays are short and evocative. It's very good for what it is.

[Nicole Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating to see the female perspective on Carl Jung's theory of the anima/animus, a perspective he admitted to be lacking. An insight on why certain parts of the psyche are deemed male or female, the importance of understanding the role of both, and why "bringing these opposites into union is one of the most important tasks of present-day psychotherapy... for life is founded on the harmonious interplay of masculine and feminine forces". Would recommend reading up on Jungian psychology first (I can see how Emma's views on the role of the male and female could be misinterpreted otherwise).

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may have changed my life. I'm not sure.

[sqrt2]

a really lebanese girl let me borrow this book, i should re read it

[nocturne89 · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Woman has learned to see that she cannot become like a man because first and foremost she is a woman and must be one."

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emma Jung foi esposa de Carl Gustav Jung, o pai da teoria dos arquétipos e do inconsciente coletivo. Ela se especializou em investigar um aspecto da teoria arquetípica do marido, que é a aplicação e diferenciação do Animus e da Anima. O Animus seria o princípio masculino na mulher e a anima, o principio feminino no homem. Segundo esses teóricos psicanalistas nossa missão transformadora na Terra é a de saber equilibrar em nosso âmago, na nossa psique, esses princípios. Contudo isso poderia ser uma verdade quando o mundo não tinha nenhuma contestação do binarismo de sexos e de gêneros. Hoje em dia com a ascensão da teoria queer e de novas possibilidades de manifestar o gênero em nossas vidas, gostaria de saber o que Emma e Carl Gustav teriam a dizer sobre esses princípios. Uma contribuição interessante deste livro é a suposição de Emma que o Animus se divide em quatro graus básicos: a força, o ato, o verbo, e o sentido. Todos eles seriam princípios masculinos que complementam a passividade feminina. Queria saber também o que as radfems teriam a discutir sobre essas suposições...

[boekjes van max · Rating 2 out of 5]

warrig boekje. te veel voorbeelden, te weinig inhoud

[Merijn Kanters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting to read this book of Jung':s wife. It is her take on Anima and Animus, the woman's side in a man and a man's side in a woman. Pretty easy to read but still relevant today as 'the war between the sexes' should mainly be 'fought' in the unconscious instead of in the external world where it is made absolute. We have to face our own opposite sides within.

[Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all - Jungians always love to use metaphors or parables. Why? Because they speak to the unconscious. So let me begin my review with a parables of my own:

Long ago, there was a beautiful princess guarded by a fierce dragon… only the mightiest warrior one day will come in and slay the dragon and save the princess. Many have tried, and all have failed. Princess, gradually lonelier but still beautiful, awaits the warrior day after day…

(If that sounds familiar, it’s because it’s coming from the movie Sherk)

Why is that relevant? Because regardless of time, metaphorically, there will always be a warrior and there will always be a princess.

Recently I’ve been wondering why ancient parables always have unlikely characters - from dragons of the West to Yaoguai of the East. But I have realized that it’s because everything is relative - the monster of the past can’t translate to the monster of today, a monster of one person can’t be relatable to a monster of the other person. Thus, by having a highly improbable monster - so improbable that no one would relate to the monster, the parable speaks to everyone.

Life is a journey, and life is a constant battle. The monster we will have to slay will always be there, metaphorically. It will always be projected outward whereas in reality it will always come inward. First of all, I’ll speak of the anima:

Anima
For a male’s development, it’s too easy for male - as Jung noted in her essay (which, by the way, I’ve learnt came from the luxury watch group IWC Schaffhausen fortune) - to dismiss the anima development. For that to him, his masculine problem solving skill seems at the surface, superior to the anima’s. As Jung wrote:

... the anima, like the woman, is predominantly conditioned by eros, that is, by the principal of union, of relationship, while the man is in general more bound to reason, to logos, the discriminating and regulative principle.

In non-Jungian speak, it means that for many males, they dismiss inner emotional work. They dismiss taking care of themselves physically. They see others - males and females both included - in superficial, objective like manners. They can’t love other people, for that they’re so deeply narcissistic of themselves, they can only see themselves onto other people, and never have the skill to truly understand that there are other people, with souls and feelings no less valid than theirs, around them.
In order for the male to conquer the dragon, the male has to slay the dragon - which is his deep, narcissistic pride of believing his masculine energy of logical thinking is superior and to obey his inner anima. Anima - the more feminine thinking - while less logical in nature, is vastly more macro, and grants one the ability to see almost the future. Obeying anima doesn’t mean the abandonment of logos, but rather to know how to use both of them congruently. To let anima take over to map out the bigger picture, then come back to logos to execute the smaller details.

Now, moving on to Animus:

Animus
Animus is the female’s internal masculine voice. And depending on the woman's ability to slay her inner dragon, appears differently. For higher level women who have slayed the dragon, Jung wrote:

For more exacting women, the animus figure is a man who accomplishes deeds, in the sense that he directs his power towards something of great significance… women in whom this aspect of masculinity is already harmoniously coordinated with the feminine principle and lending it effective aid. These are the active, energetic, brave, and forceful women.

Slaying the dragon is immensely difficult, and almost all fail. As Jung continues, just as there are higher level women, there are also lesser level women:

... But also there are those in whom the integration has failed, in whom masculine behavior has overrun and suppressed the feminine principle. There are the over-energetic, ruthless, brutal, men-women, the Xanthippe who are not only active but aggressive.

Jung throughout the book mentions something fascinating: that in essence, there’s one of the biggest lies in the world, which is masculine thinking is superior to feminine thinking. Women’s intuition, cautiousness and tenderness are no match to masculine thinking. Thus, all males and females should think strictly the masculine way. And for any woman who wants to remain in her feminine energy is pulling society backwards and ironically, “anti-women”.
On a side note, for those who think “this time is different”, Jung do have something to say:

...along with the discoveries and inventions of the last fifty years, we have also had the beginning of the so-called woman’s [sic] movement, the struggle of women for equal rights with men. Happily, we have today survived the worst product of this struggle, the “bluestocking.” Woman has learned to see that she cannot become like a man because first and foremost, she is a woman and must be one.

Now going back to women with lesser level of animus development, Jung wrote that there are several negatives associated with her inner animus, that if she refuses to develop her animus:

... the animus becomes autonomous and negative, and works destructively on the individual herself and in her relationships to other people… One of the most important ways that the animus expresses itself, then, is in making judgments, and as it happens with judgments, so it is with thoughts in general… they are generally valid concepts or truths which, though they may be quite true in themselves, do not fit in the given instance because they fail to consider what is individual and specific in a situation… this voice expresses itself from... a critical, usually negative comment on every movement, an exact examination of all motives and intentions, which naturally always causes feelings of inferiority, and tends to nip in the bud all initiatives and every wish for self-expression…

In essence, when a female refuses to develop her animus, she gets bitter, angry and annoyed. And she will project her bitterness towards the outside world, for that is her internal self’s inner critic - the animus - that is possessing her. She sees the world in a negative light because her inner critics just WOULDN’T FUCKING SHUT THE HELL UP.
Then - there are another kind of females, who intentionally stay unconscious as she realizes that her beauty gains her enormous power through males. Jung wrote:

Because she feels this power instinctively and does not wish to lose it, she often resists to the utmost the process of becoming conscious…

In order to slay the dragon and save the princess within, Jung believed that it would be an enormous undertaking for females, as she wrote:

To attain such an attitude and to be able to fulfill the appointed tak, requires, above everything else, discipline, and this bears harder on woman, who is still nearer to nature, than on man.

Since slaying the dragon is so hard and requires so much work, to embark on the journey itself takes a great confidence: because said female is essentially going against the world. But the process of slaying the dragon itself is hard as well. Because the dragon here - the animus - gains energy while being slayed. Insulting the dragon, hitting the dragon, only makes the dragon more visible in the female’s psyche. The only way to truly slay the dragon - as shown from the peer-reviewed 7.9/10 IMDB rated 2001 movie Sherk - is to domesticate the dragon (like what the donkey did):

Realizing that her inner animus are simply misunderstood and can be trained for better. Only when she integrates her animus with herself, she then gains an animus that will obediently serve, guide her for the rest of her life.

[Day · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rly great from a historic perspective on jungian concepts but incredibly regressive in terms of views on men and women.

[Anton Antonov · Rating 4 out of 5]

N.B. Не е лесно за четене и извличане, заради високото ниво на абстракция и нужда от предварителни познания по юнгианската философия, но дори и за хора, като мен, които са чели половин до една книга по темата, то е достъпно, въпреки че ми отне един месец да го асимилирам. 😭 Двете есета са полезни за личностното развитие и себеразбиране и обогатяване, но не са и единственият начин да добиете тази информация. 🤔

Разглеждайки двете есета, те намират смисъл в това да търсим баланс над нас и нашите емоции. Не в това да ги потискаме, а да ги изразяваме по здравословен начин. 🧘

Ема Юнг е психоаналитик, съпруга и по-ценното, партньора в живота на Карл Юнг.
Ема е починала през 1955 г., като изпреварва смъртта на Карл Юнг с шест години. За нея той е изваял камък в нейна памет с надпис: "Тя беше основата на моя дом.” и неговата “кралица”. Годините, изучаващите литература, и наличната литература, показват че не се е обръщало достатъчно внимание върху една от най-значимите личности за аналитичната психология. Няма достатъчно литература от нея, за нея, а наличната, която има е много трудно достъпна. Затова реших да прочета тези 2 есета - „За природата на Анимуса“ и „Анимата като елементарно същество“, които са част от юнгианската философия.

Първото есе разглежда Анимус, който е мъжкият принцип в женската психика.
Есето е написано конкретно без прекалено излишна абстракция и прекалени препратки.
То описва как този принцип се прожектира от личния опит с мъжете, културните архетипи и наследените умствени модели от колективното несъзнаване. Тази сила оказва влияние чрез вътрешен диалог и често приема формата на осъждащ глас. Ако не бъде контролирана, тя може да завладее съзнателния живот на жената, водейки до редица проблеми, включително неудовлетвореност и емоционална отчужденост. Ема Юнг разглежда силата на анимуса да изкривява женската преценка, карайки мислите да изглеждат като истини, което води до вътрешен конфликт и объркване.

N.B. Въпреки очакванията, наложени от обществото през началото на 20-ти век, Ема вярва, че жената трябва да запази себе си и своята автентичност. Днес, 90 години по-късно, когато очакванията са още по-високи, това е с пъти по-голяма тежест и истина.

Преди да премина към второто есе, какво е колективното несъзнаване? То е основа на юнгианската философия, което значи универсални и вродени структури на психиката, споделени от всички хора. Дали е така обаче? Модерната психология го отрича и аз самият намирам достатъчно факти, които сочат към друго. Тези черти се споделят чрез родителите и тяхното отглеждане на детето, а не пряко с раждането и “скрити” заложби, в повечето аспекти.

Сега, второто есе, „Анимата като елементарно същество”. Есето е значително по-абстрактно и по-трудно за разбиране, но не се отказах. 😅 Противоположно на анимус, анимата представлява женския аспект в мъжката психика. Ема Юнг обяснява как анимата служи като мост между съзнателния и несъзнателния ум при мъжете. Чрез това есе Юнг се стреми да изследва проявленията на анимата, нейното влияние върху личните отношения на мъжа и нейното по-широко значение за психологическото развитие. Анимата е елементарна сила в мъжа, която често се проявява чрез фантазии, сънища и емоционални преживявания. Тя е дълбоко свързана с опита на мъжа с жените – както чрез личните му взаимоотношения, така и чрез взаимодействието с колективния архетип на женствеността. Когато анимата бъде призната и интегрирана, тя се превръща в източник на креативност, емоционална дълбочина и мъдрост. В противен случай, както твърди Ема Юнг, мъжете трябва да се справят с този женски аспект в себе си, за да избегнат доминацията на анимата над техните емоции и поведения.

N.B. Есето може да се обобщи с това, че анимата е значително по-слабо развита при мъжете, което води до липса на емоционална интелигентност в масите мъже. И днес, 90 години по-късно, този проблем има още по-голяма тежест и се отразява осезаемо в отношенията между половете.

[Ruben Mes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Leuk boekje over de basis principes, en de omringende mythologische samenhangsels, van de de Animus en Anima.

Als man begin ik nu te zien hoe de Animus zich manifesteerd in vrouwen, en begin ik meer begrip en compassie te cultiveren. Het eerste stuk over de Animus was vrij helder.

Het tweede stuk over de Anima is meer gericht op de Anima als natuurwezen, en richt zich meer op de analogiëen in sprookjes en folklore. Op zich wel interessant, maar ik heb niet meer inzicht gekregen.

Voor mij is de Anima een wezen waarmee ik een band moet opbouwen, maar geschreven vanuit een gedateerd tijdperk, merk dat ik dat mijn eigen situatie niet overeenkomt met het stereotype van toen, namelijk: man is mannelijk, rationeel cognitief en gevoelloos.

Ikzelf worstel juist met de Anima meer los te laten en telkens bewust rationaliteit te kiezen, in plaats van de 'vrouwelijke wazigheid' van de Anima aan het stuur te laten.

Voor mij is het medicijn dus eerder in: klussen, ordenen, rekenen, abstraheren, structureren. Ik kan namelijk al goed in het onbewuste schouwen en in mijn gevoel treden!

Dit veld is hard toe aan updates die passen bij het verschuiven van de polariteit in de samenleving tussen man en vrouw.

Verder wel interessant om te zien hoe Emma Jung dingen zag in die tijd. Maar vrij nutteloos voor nu.

[Bohemian Bluestocking · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am falling in love with Emma Jung, her story, her works. I also have her book of dreams and active imagination that I want to eventually dive into. The first essay was my favorite and I wish it had been longer. It is about something Jung and others could talk about more, the animus within female consciousness. It was inspiring and clarifying.

The second essay was longer and more focused on myths that contain anima characters of the elements/nature. It had some great passages too, but I always feel that works like this (Campbell included), try to cram too much information/too many stories to show all of the examples they can think of when I'd always rather have a deeper and more focused look. Also, I would have liked another essay about feminine consciousness/the animus because I feel that is less written about/touched on.

It is a quick read. I would definitely like to read more of her work. I always wonder that Jung didn't realize all his romantic entanglements outside his marriage was him potentially projecting his anima onto various female clients and so avoiding taking the desire within to work on his own individuation. But I guess it is sometimes hard to apply your own theories to your own life, especially when you fall in love so easily.

[Searchingthemeaningoflife Greece · Rating 5 out of 5]

[...]Ίσως τα όργανα της αναπνοής να έχουν μια ιδιαίτερη σχέση με το πνεύμα, όπως φαίνεται από τις λέξεις άνιμους ή πνεύμα και Hauch=(αναπνοή) ή Geist=(πνεύμα) και επομένος αντιδρούν με ιδιαίτερη ευαισθησία στις διεργασίες του πνεύματος.[...]

[...]Η κατάκτηση μιας γυναίκας με λίγο- πολύ βίαιο τρόπο, είναι καθαρό σημάδι πως η ερωτική στάση του άνδρα βρίσκεται σε ένα εντελώς πρωτόγονο στάδιο.[...]

[Bianka Pencz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Befejeztem, de nekem nagyon fojtós volt.
Hiába olvasok folyamatosan angolul, ez így is nagyon nehéz, főleg tartalmilag. Szeretnék elmélyedni Jungban, talán egy fórumon ajánlották ezeket az esszéket, de nem vagyok benne biztos, hogy volt értelme végigrágni magam. Nyilván a világnézet elévült néhol, de mindemellett adott jó gondolatokat. Lehet, hogy csak egy út elején járok... egyszer talán újraolvasom, ha elmélyül a tudásom a témában.

[Alvis Mešalkins]

Even though this whole thing is just a 100 pages long, it's very dense. I got bored several times while reading it.
It is also filled with a lot of mystical folklore and such. I would have preferred it to have more theory and practical advice about integration of the parts and individuation.

Even though it's Emma Jung, i feel like there must be better resources about this same topic

[Daniel Bicknell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly a selection of Psychology papers writen on Altered States of Consciousness. A bit dated but none-the-less valuable. States of consciousness are explored from their causes - meditation, dreams, hypnosis, major & minor psychedelics and so on. Very strict scientific approach.

[Coltin Thayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to purchase this book to get a large overview of the concept of “Anima” and “Animus” all in one place. I myself find myself closely drawn to Carl Jung’s work in Analytical Psychology and will continue to study his work as I give my own contributions into the world of Psychology.

[Mephistopheles · Rating 4 out of 5]

These were good essays, particularly the essay regarding the Animus. They piqued my interest into Emma Jung as well – she was a remarkable woman.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely enlightening and well-orgranized thoughts.
The elaborated discussion of the animus and female psychology is rare and eye-opening.

[Nello Maruca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Testo fondamentale per la comprensione della psicologia analitica. Consigliato per chi si voglia approcciare per prima volta alle dinamiche archetipiche.

[Larissa Arantes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tem muitas generalizações e machismos pesados aí. Precisa ser revisto e atualizado.

[Margarete Maneker · Rating 3 out of 5]

brief digression from Jungian astrology book to reground myself in the concept of the anima/animus

[Amber Middlebrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

A concise yet impactful exploration of the internal masculine and feminine traits within individuals.

[Aleksandar Jefic]

Not the the non-chalant introduction to Jung I was promised

[Hannah Nichols · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eloquent, but misguided. Refined misconception. This has no sustenance. Read Carl for a more discriminating delineation. Incredibly disappointing to see a woman delimit her own gender so harshly

[Wale]

Returned to library at page 61. To finish later.