Animus

From No Subject - Encyclopedia of Psychoanalysis
Revision as of 06:33, 31 August 2006 by Riot Hero (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search

The male component of the unconscious female psyche . Like the anima (Eros), but he personifies "spirit" and "intellect" (Logos). His negative aspect gives a woman her irrational convinctions and opinions. He's usually plural because women focus on one man only in conscious relationships. He also compensates the basic female faculty for unity. He seems to lack the anima's historical quality and is more concerned with present and future, which Jung saw as a compensation (it's women who think more about roots, the past, etc.)--but in his deepest qualities he is as history-oriented as the anima. He evolves through four stages: the physical man, the romantic man or man of action, the bearer of the word, and the wise spiritual guide.

See Also

References