The Anima is the Feminine Side to a Man’s Thinking; Just as the Animus is the Masculine side to a Woman’s Thinking. The Facet of our Personality has been said to Determine Who We Choose as a Partner

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Jung has stated that his life was a story of the self-realization of the unconscious. His Analytic Theory is different from others – it shows the metaphysical nature of the self; one that is impossible to test in laboratory situations. It is a hopeful theory. Like Addler’s Individual Psychology, it hopes that man becomes a better and more civilized human being operating in a better frame of reference.
Jung preferred the term psyche. It’s a Latin word that originally means ‘soul’. More importantly, it suggests the integration of all aspects of personality. And one of his more prominent subjects is two of the 4 archetypes of the collective unconscious: The Anima and the Animus.
The Anima and the Animus, described by Jung are two primary antromorphic archetypes of the unconscious mind. The anima and the animus are archetypes of the collective unconscious and not an aggregate of the people whom the individual interacts with, constant or not; however these aspects of the personal unconscious are also influential to the archetypes and the formation of the self.
In the unconscious of the male, an archetype finds expression as a female inner personality called the anima. Being a man’s sensitivity must often be repressed; the anima is one of the most significant autonomous complexes of all. Since it doesn’t have much area in a man’s consciousness, it often manifests itself by appearing in dreams.
Equivalently, in the unconscious of the female, a particular archetype finds expression as a male inner personality called the animus. In retrospect, there are fewer protests when a woman projects the characteristics of a man. So unlike that of the anima, it has an easier time expressing itself. But all the more it is more difficult to be aware of it because the animus tends to mesh with the persona of the woman.
Jung has said that the anima and the animus influence a person’s interactions with the opposite sex, and that includes his or her relationships, specifically love. But there’s a problem with this.
It’s like an indirect reference to the Greek myth about soul mates. It went something like this. In the beginning, humans were made with 2 heads, 2 bodies, 2 sets of limbs. Zeus feared this, thinking that these creatures would one day overpower him. So with all his power, he split the creature into two separate entities. When that happened, the halves of the humans were scattered, because Zeus left them to wander aimlessly around the world in search of their other half.
It’s relevant with what Jung said about the psyche. It seeks wholeness, and a union of inner opposites. It was what he called the process of individuation. However, individuation does not occur so easily or so hastily either.
When a man falls in love with a woman, he unconsciously projects his anima to her, and vice versa. For example, when a woman falls in love, initially, she does not see certain characteristics of the man she “fell in love with”. Rather, she has projected her reflection: her ideas, standards, interests, etc, in the form of her animus.
And when this happens to both people, this is what we now call “falling in love”. They both ‘fall’, theoretically. But in reality, it’s just the both of them appreciating the reflection of their own inner selves. Now the question arises: When is it love and when is it just projection?
Jung explains that when projection occurs, individuation has already begun, as these contrasexual images within us are already open. Real love blossoms with commitment. As time passes by, each would get out of their respective projections and be a litter more conscious of the relationship that they’re in. When the projections wear off, there is an opportunity that arrives for both people. They can now start to delve into the true persona of their missing halves. This is not an easy task, it also requires a re-assessment of the self. The value of taking back our projection is that we can now see and accept our partners for who they are and not who we want them to be.
Real love is a willingness to see and support to be their own unique self. This will untangle us from seeking in them them the perfect mirror image of ourselves. And as the love between the individuals grows and expands, this kind of love gives each partner a sense of freedom. And for some, that is the greatest gift of all.
References:
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anima_and_animus
• http://shadowdance.com/is-it-love-or-is-it-projection/4581115816

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