Animus
animus, -i, m. (2nd declension)
mind, intellect, understanding
soul, spirit, life force
will, intention, purpose, resolve
emotion, feeling, especially anger or passion
courage, bravery, high spirit, moral strength
(in plural) pride, spirit, enthusiasm
When the animus is recognized, discussed, purified, and integrated (for example, through active imagination, dreams, or therapeutic work), it becomes a supportive inner force.
The animus can help women structure their inner and outer world, think for themselves, act, create, and take their place in the world without waiting for someone to give it to them.
The restored connection with one's animus directly supports self-esteem, as the woman feels she has an inner backbone—a loving and reliable inner masculine force.
The animus, in Jungian psychology, is partly innate and partly acquired: it is gradually woven throughout a woman's life, from multiple influences, both conscious and unconscious.
It becomes a composite, often ambivalent inner figure, which can be as much destructive as edifying, depending on how it is constellated, experienced, and integrat
Kenji Aoki Photography
The Animus Reading List
1. Jung's search for the masculine in women: the signification of the animus, by Tessa Adams.
2. The father archetype in feminine psychology by Amy Allenby.
3.Anima Animus, by Emma Jung.
4. The Syzygy, Reformulation and New Perspectives: Dreams, Anima-Animus and Gender, by Saiz et al., 2023.
5. The animus: Help or hindrance? by Deborah Wesley.
6. The Animus and I: A Model for Psychotherapy with women, by Polly-Young Eisendrath & Florence Wiedemann.
7. The Animus: The Spirit of Inner Truth in Women (chapter 1), by Barbara Hannah.
8. A Critical Dictionary of Jungian Analysis, by Andrew Samuels, Bani Shorter, and Fred Plaut.
For a pdf version of the reading list click below