Carl Jung — The Masculine in Women (Letter Excerpt, 1957)
THE MASCULINE IN WOMEN Anonymous [ORIGINAL IN ENGLISH] 12 November 1957
Dear Dr. N., What you told me is a typical story of what I call the projection of the anima into a woman and of the animus into a man. Anima is the soul-image of a man, represented in dreams or fantasies by a feminine figure. It symbolizes the function of relationship. The animus is the image of spiritual forces in a woman, symbolized by a masculine figure. If a man or a woman is unconscious of these inner forces, they appear in a projection.
The psychiatrist calls you “his equal,” and that feeling of relationship shows that you carry the image of his soul. Since he is unable to see you as a real woman behind his projection, you seem to be a “sphinx.” In reality his soul is his sphinx, and he should try to solve the riddle.
You are not a sphinx, but a human being. You are not responsible for the psychiatrist’s soul. He must solve his problem himself. You are not his soul, but you carry the image of it. You are not responsible for his projection. You are only responsible for your own animus.
The animus is a masculine image in a woman’s unconscious. It is not the image of her father or of any other man she knows. It is a figure that appears in dreams or fantasies, and it symbolizes the spiritual side of a woman. It is the counterpart of the anima in a man.
The animus can be positive or negative. In its negative aspect it appears as a demon of opinion. A woman possessed by the animus is dogmatic and argumentative. She may assert things with unshakable conviction, even when they are absurd. She may become rigid and inaccessible to reason.
In its positive aspect the animus is a source of strength. It gives a woman firmness, clarity, and a capacity for reflection. It can be a helpful companion, a guide, and a mediator between the conscious and the unconscious.
The animus is not a single figure. It is a plurality. It often appears as a group of men, and this multiplicity reflects the various aspects of masculinity that a woman has encountered and internalized.
The task is to recognize the animus as an autonomous psychic factor and to enter into dialogue with him. Only then can he become a helpful companion rather than a tyrant.
This process is not easy. It requires courage and honesty. It means facing the inner man and listening to what he has to say. It means distinguishing between his voice and your own. It means taking responsibility for your own thoughts and feelings.
The psychiatrist has projected his anima into you. You have become the carrier of his soul-image. This is not your fault, but it is your problem. You must find your own animus and enter into relationship with him. Only then can you be free from the projections of others.
From the Houston Films: When a man sings very high, a girl thinks he must have a very wonderful spiritual character because he can sing the high C, and she is badly disappointed when she marries that particular number. Well, that’s the archetype of the animus.
~Carl Jung, Aspects of the Masculine, “The Masculine in Women,” Letter dated 12 November 1957
No man is so entirely masculine that.
Here, without a doubt, is one of the main sources for the feminine quality of the soul. But it does not seem to be the only source.
No man is so entirely masculine that he has nothing feminine in him.
The fact is, rather, that very masculine men have — carefully guarded and hidden—a very soft emotional life, often incorrectly described as ‘ ‘feminine.”
A man counts it a virtue to repress his feminine traits as much as possible, just as a woman, at least until recently, considered it unbecoming to be “mannish.”
The repression of feminine traits and inclinations naturally causes these contrasexual demands to accumulate in the unconscious.
No less naturally, the imago of woman (the soul-image) becomes a receptacle for these demands, which is why a man, in his love-choice, is strongly tempted to win the woman who best corresponds to his own unconscious femininity—a woman, in short, who can unhesitatingly receive the projection of his soul.
Although such a choice is often regarded and felt as altogether ideal, it may turn out that the man has manifestly married his own worst weakness.
This would explain some highly remarkable conjunctions. ~Carl Jung, CW 7, Para 297
Humankind is masculine and feminine, not just man or woman.
Great is he who is in love, since love is the present act of the great creator, the present moment of the becoming and lapsing of the world.
Mighty is he who loves. But whoever distances himself from love, feels himself powerful. ~Carl Jung, Liber Novus, Page 253.
You seek the feminine in women and the masculine in men.
And thus there are always only men and women.
But where are people?
You, man, should not seek the feminine in women, but seek and recognize it in yourself, as you possess it from the beginning.
It pleases you, however, to play at manliness, because it travels on a well-worn track.
You, woman, should not seek the masculine in men, but assume the masculine in yourself, since you possess it from the beginning.
But it amuses you and is easy to play at femininity, consequently man despises you because he despises his femininity.
But humankind is masculine and feminine, not just man or woman.
You can hardly say of your soul what sex it is.
But if you pay close attention, you will see that the most masculine man has a feminine soul, and the most feminine woman has a masculine soul.
The more manly you are, the more remote from you is what woman really is, since the feminine in yourself is alien and contemptuous. ~Carl Jung, Liber Novus, Page 263.
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