The Anima and the Animus

A masculine man

The Swiss psychologist Carl Jung has written about the concepts Anima and Animus, as related to the Greek archetypes of Eros and Logos. Hereby, the Anima/Eros is the feminine energy in the world and ourselves, the Animus/Logos is the masculine energy. We can use these terms to understand our psyche better and become aware of our potentiality.

Our psyche is such that it consists of both the feminine and the masculine. All humans have both energies and to live up to the fullest expression of ourselves, we have to use and balance both.

The core of the Anima (the feminine) is love and life energy.

The core of the Animus (the masculine) is order and knowledge.

Some possible positive and negative expressions of the Anima in a person:

Positive expressions of the Anima

• Sensitivity
• Intuitiveness
• Capable of empathy
• A feeling for nature
• Access to feeling life
• Truth telling and feeling
• Self nurturing and self loving
• Capacity for loving relationships
• Creativity and access to creative inspiration
• Able to make value judgements beyond the realm of pure rationality

Negative expression of the Anima

• Angry
• Anxious
• Depressed
• Codependent
• Self centered
• Greedy, grasping
• Lack of creativity
• Poor relatedness to others
• Imagination becomes mere fantasizing
• Uncontained, constantly seeking external affirmation.
• Feelings and emotions are replaced by moodiness, sentimentality, hysteria

Next, some possible positive and negative expressions of the Animus in a person:

Positive expressions of the Animus

• Vitality
• Courage
• Assertiveness
• A strong center
• Strength of conviction
• Desire for achievement
• Good rational and logical ability
• Good external strength in the persona
• Bridge to knowledge and creative thought
• Ability to construct by sustained effort and application

Negative expressions of the Animus

• Fear
• Brutality
• Avoidance
• Controlling
• Repressed emotions
• Know it all behavior
• Destructive behavior
• Inability to effectively and meaningfully relate
• Analytical thought becomes argumentativeness
• Assertiveness becomes aggression and ruthlessness

The full expression of one’s character is achieved when the Anima and Animus are fully and equally integrated. When the Anima and the Animus are poorly integrated, the negative expressions can throw someone off balance and lead to a non authentic or depressed life.

To get more positive expressions of the Anima or Animus in ourselves, we can reflect on these concepts in ourselves and the people around us. We can mirror and uplift ourselves to a parent, friend, sibling, colleague, famous person or someone else who is inspiring. For a more direct and contained approach to give rise to a positive and balanced expression of the Anima and the Animus in ourselves, coaching can be valuable.