Animus Possession: Are you a ball busting bitch?
In preparation for our Anima and Animus Module on the Conscious Living Programme, I re-read Marie Louise von Franz book “Animus and Anima in Fairy Tales”[1]. Whilst it is a fascinating read, I can’t say that I enjoy reading her, since her writing style is very difficult to follow.
I decided to extract the invaluable information from “Animus and Anima in Fairy Tales” into two concise posts that explains the process of integrating the Animus and Anima. This post, part one of two, is the exploration of the integration of Animus and next month I will post one on the integration of the Anima.
Jung makes the following statement about the Animus and Anima:
The “soul” which accrues to ego-consciousness during the opus has a feminine character in the man and a masculine character in a woman. His anima wants to reconcile and unite; her Animus tries to discern and discriminate. [The Psychology of the Transference,” CW 16, par. 522.]
In the classic version of Jungian psychology, the Anima is the man’s internal other, and the Animus is the woman’s internal other. In other words, if you are physically a woman, you will have an inner Animus, a masculine image which guides and shapes the way you relate to men and the world at large. Marie Louise von Franz does base her interpretation of Fairy Tales on this classical version of the Anima and Animus theory. Whilst Post Jungian theory is in line with Post Modernity and more ambivalent about gender, the classical model is still incredibly useful and interesting. The information and knowledge that Marie Louise von Franz extracts from the Fairy Tales is fascinating and enlightening.
As this post focus on the woman’s relationship with her Animus, what needs to be understood is that this masculine image is unconscious, and has his roots in the relationship she had with her father. A woman’s experience of her personal father puts the flesh on the inborn archetype of the Animus and both defines her attitude towards men and the functioning of her inner masculinity. In Jungian psychology, the first step is to individuation is integrating your shadow. After that follows the integration of the Anima and/or Animus.
Animus Possession
We all know at least one woman who has become possessed by her Animus. She is a ball busting bitch. These women walk around with stinkwood penises, beating both men and women over the head with it, insisting that they know it all and know it all better than everyone else! This Animus Hound is never wrong. She knows everything. She inflicts an unstoppable, unconscious flow of talk on others, in which she has an unyielding conviction.
The Animus hound usually suffers from a weak and uncertain feminine image and a damaged instinct. Her mother was not available either emotionally or physically. This makes her vulnerable to Animus possession. This woman has a negative image about her femininity and is usually highly critical and judgmental of other women. She herself is vain, false and jealous, but is not aware of it and projects it out, labelling others as vain, false and jealous.
The Animus in this woman has one goal, and that is to pull her away from life and cut her off from it. He prevents this woman from entering a spiritual life and keeps her focused on the material physical world. She suffers from a Will to Power, a psychological imbalance which affects her relatedness to others and the world in the most insidious way. When the feeling life (Eros) is missing, the result is someone who pursues and values only the intellect, resulting in a stiff attitude, lacking warmth and feeling.
She has no heart.
She is cut off from her instincts, unbalanced and destructive. She can only relate to men sexually and confronted with a relationship, she asks the wrong questions. Instead of thinking about whether she loves him or cares for him, she asks herself whether she should sleep with him now or tries to work out the best way to manipulate him.
The Animus is critical and harsh and he constantly whispers to this woman that she is a failure, that she can’t amount to anything and that it is too late now anyway. He criticises those around her and points out their flaws and mistakes.
The Animus often attacks the woman’s creativity by instilling doubt about the validity of her ideas and her ability to implement them. He also sows the seeds of doubt and suspicion. The Animus loves getting stuck on small things and making it into big things in order to hold back life and prevent growth. He is an expert on making mountains out of molehills. Like a dog with a bone, he picks and analyses and comes up with various intimations of what is going on, wasting an enormous amount of psychic energy.
Furthermore, this woman craves life and like the proverbial vampire, she will suck it from whomever, even her children.
Being this woman is not easy, it is a hard and unforgiving existence – a dog eats dog world.
Integrating the Animus
Easier said than done, the integration of the Animus involves humility and sacrifice. Women need to sacrifice their magical power that they have over men in order to individuate. This power will keep her focused on her prestige persona and clinging to this power is her Animus’ hold over her.
Since the Animus involves the Will to Power vs Eros (feeling), facing the Animus head on is futile. The woman must cleverly outwit and avoid him. Women cannot fight the Animus by killing him, they can only catch him and escape. The internal conflict that the Animus creates is overcome by walking out of it.
Within her, the Animus possessed women has two opposing forces, being the Animus and the negative Anima (her inferior shadow perception of herself). These two forces in her can balance each other out by pitching them against each other. Through this conflict between her shadow and her Animus, can and she can make the connections within herself and the world. This is the power of the integrated Animus – consciousness and a connection with herself, her passions and her values.
In life, women are often presented with a situation to overcome this Animus possession. The opportunity to get out of the complex, usually triggers the neurosis. Once the unconscious complex is activated, nothing can stop it. But when the ruling attitude is inappropriate (Animus possession), it will result in the failure of the opportunity and the consequence is a loss of libido, a depression. This is an indication that the current approach and attitude is no longer valid and needs a new approach. To constellate this new approach, reflect on the following suggestions for dealing with Animus Possession.
Here are some guidelines for dealing with typical Animus experiences.
The Critical Animus:
When the Animus is arguing and criticizing, the right approach to deal with this, is to say to the Animus, “Since you are so opinionated about what is wrong with others, let’s look at my shadow”. These two opposing forces, the shadow and the Animus, results in consciousness. This consciousness allows her to discern what her own ideas and opinions really are, and the difference between her feminine ego and masculine Animus.
The Animus Hound possession:
Animus possessed woman suffer from a tremendous flow of unconscious, blind talk in which they have a righteous conviction in. The question a woman must ask is “Do I really believe that?” At every turn, she needs to confront her opinions through reflection.
The Attacking Animus:
The Animus can torture a woman, feeding her ruminations and thoughts about failure. To step out of this internal conflict, the best way is to say to the Animus, “Ah, you are right, it is too late, I am a failure, so let’s not speak about it anymore”. This allows the energy to move forward and not to dissipate in the internal conflict and the woman is left alone to try her hand at whatever she is doing anyway.
The Inflated Animus:
Being Animus possessed implies inflation, since the Animus is an archetype and belongs to the collective unconscious. The standards used by the Animus are collective standards and no individual is able to attain them. The benchmark the Animus uses to criticise is too high for a normal human being to live up to. The Animus always knows better, but in assuming this position the woman is only inflating her own abilities. When she finds herself saying or thinking “You should be doing this” with herself or others, it would be wise to counteract this Animus position by taking on a humility and admitting that you don’t know everything, that you may very well be a failure.
The Suspicious Animus:
The Animus is very adept at falsifying information or feeding the woman suspicions. Something really nice or sweet may happen, but then much later, for example that evening, she will reflect on an event and she starts reading into what happened and was said and becomes suspicious and doubtful. This Animus laughs at feelings and think that they are a weakness. Be aware of this Animus tactic and don’t let him break down positive experiences. Again, the approach would be to agree with him, he may be right, but you would like to believe that it was a positive experience anyway. The woman must reflect on how she feels about others and make her feelings and emotions conscious.
The Destructive Animus:
The Animus attacks what is good and the germs of new ideas by criticising the woman’s ability to implement them as well as the validity of these ideas. Again, the correct approach is to agree, but you are going to try anyway. The Animus is very critical of everything and everyone. He is usually right too, but when he is triggered and she is possessed, he is likely to be wrong by confusing her with stormy arguments and a misty confusing atmosphere.
The Impatient Animus:
The Animus is often very impatient, making the woman feel that she has to make up her mind immediately, to act straight away, instead of waiting for her psyche to bring forth the proper new development. The truth is that for women it often takes years for the new development to emerge. However difficult it is to stay within this space of tension, resist the temptation to move immediately and give your psyche time to process and create the solution. (Barring of course a situation that is life threatening)
The Animus is a demon who wants to pull the woman away from life, cut her off from it. That is why she must run away and not get trapped by it.
An integrated Animus
An integrated Animus allows the woman to be actively and creatively enterprising. This woman is able to take up new ideas and new movements and they often at the forefront of the new zeitgeist.
She engages life and does not hide from it behind false bravado and intellectual verbosity. She is spiritual and intellectual and confident in her own knowledge and wisdom.
This wise women has a healthy attitude towards disappointment. She risks being hurt in relationships without the bitterness, and with a well-developed sense of humour. She accepts that life consists of both growth and decline and embraces it.
Living fully and embracing life with passion and conviction is the goal of individuation and integrating the Animus is a huge part of this process.
Next month I will publish the second part of this series about the man’s conflict with his Anima.
Until next time
Anja
[1] Von Franz, M. L. (2002). Animus and anima in fairy tales. D. Sharp (Ed.). Toronto: Inner City Books.
Comments (66)
Very interesting, thank you.And useful.
Great, thanks Coral.
Thank you so much! This is very helpful to me!
Thank you for sharing, amazing stuff.
This writing presents a compelling portrait of the intellectual, creative women with powerful personalities that I have known intimately over 70 years though marriages and relationships in work and love. I have watched the dynamics of these women wrestling with animus.. trying to balance power, achievement, and love….seeking fulfillment in both spheres (Eros and Animus) a difficult balancing act. It seems much more time sensitive for women….they also must wrestle with Chronos..the biological imperative to bear and nurture babies is a huge physical, mental, emotional passage to negotiate while also juggling career achievement
I would love to read another page you may have written based on the masculine struggle with anima….I feel I could write a book…(but probably not as well as your write)
Thank you Anja 🙂
Pleasure Cheyne. Hope that was interesting, you do have the advantage of framing it in this month’s topic on CLP.
Substantial and broad view of the development of a “bitch possessed” to an integrated and enlightening animus.
Sooo interesting, thanks v much, Anja. Much food for thought!
Thanks Gill. I so appreciate your comments.
I have to agree with all the other comments — interesting.
Thanks Susan. I think as women, we have all experienced the Animus in this way. Next month I am posting a blog on Anima, and the man’s experience of her. But when you read that one, you will also be able to relate to a lot of what the conflict with the Anima entails as well. In Post Modern society, we are confronted by both Anima and Animus, since our persona’s, and our conscious ego identities, are much more flexible than in Jung’s time.
Hi Anja. Thanks for this writing on Animus. I found it both interesting and useful. Reading this has helped in nudging me along with the sorting out of last months module. I can agree to your statement here that in post-modernist society that our egos are more flexible creating an environment for some of this to be a bit more gray or murky to identify and sort out. That, and all this is new to me and very exciting. Thanks again for all you do. You have certainly helped me move off position and look thoughtfully, at this, and so much more as i move through the CLP course work
Thank you Anja, it seems that becoming conscious is a very important aspect of integration.
Yes Elze, that is the focus of working with the Animus. Thanks for pointing it out.
I don’t think that ‘the wise woman’ described in this article will write about such delicate matters with so much rage and so little compassion as the author did. I was just beaten by a stinkwood penis.
Thanks for reading the article anyway Beth. I had to embrace my inner ball buster to write it and that is probably why it has no heart to it. In my defense I have to say that although it is the classic interpretation of Jung’s Anima and Animus theory but I felt, still very relevant.
The author could have used spell check and sentence structure check to her advantage. Otherwise I found the piece very informative.
Thanks for the feedback Ricardo. Spell checker did not pick up any mistakes, but it could be that it is an inappropriate word. Let me know please, I would like to fix it.
Haha, and this is a live example of how a woman should respond to her demonic/critical Animus.
Thank you, Beth, for being the first to point out that the Empress has no clues. This reads like a piece of early Medieval misogynist preaching. Unless it was meant as an intentional parody deconstructing the projection inherent in trying to describe the animus through the lens of identification with patriarchy, I have no idea how intelligent people could take it as anything but material for analysis of the author and the sexist society that spawns this demonizing of women and the feminine.
Thanks for you feedback Shanta, I did frame the blog at the beginning in terms of its gender bias, but just to clarify, Jung’s theory on Anima and Animus is in the Post modern movement regarded as sexist and outdated. Post Jungian take on Anima and Animus has been evolved to include both Anima and Animus in the individual’s pscyhe, and gender does not feature as strongly. However, I felt that Marie-Louise von Franz’s take on the classic perspective of Anima and Animus is interesting. I can relate to the content in the blog and have experience my own Animus in her descriptions, as the blog reflects.
I might be a little out of space but thought this was an article about pathological, not feminine.
You’re literally proving the validity of this article with your ideologically possessed dismissal of the article. You’ll never have a real argument if you can’t become consciously aware of your condescension.
i don’t know what to think of this analysis and interpretation. I see it as a bit chauvinistic in its preconceived ideas regarding women. I felt completely uncomfortable reading it.
Hi Adriana, thanks for your input. Yes, it is sexist. As you can see from the other comments and my responses, this blog reflects the classic version of Anima and Animus theory. Although this is not a modern Post-Jungian approach, I felt it still has value and hence I captured this concise interpretation of Marie-Louise’s information in her book “Anima and Animus in Fairy Tales”.
Again, it might sound a little odd, but why do you say it’s sexist? I’m not kidding, I really don’t understand what is wrong with this article.
I would also like others to elaborate as to why they believe this is sexist. It seems that way I suppose in that it’s only speaking of the animus and not the anima. We are only reading about how women are controlled by the “masculine” aspect. Is viewing and labeling these ideas about the subconscious as sexist a defense mechanism of the animus not to look at itself?
“I am 36 not yet married because of failed relationships in every attempt i do.” ^And still in my dreams, I also see my mother prohibiting me from getting married to every man lover i get in my waking life^
Fantastic article on animus possession. Thank you so much.
Could you provide the link for the follow-up article on the anima?
Hi Anja,
I don’t know if you’re still reading the comments to this but I really wanted to say that this was AMAZING article! I don’t think I’ve read many (any?) articles that even approach Marie Louise von Franz’s and Jung’s incisive understanding of a psychological issue. Thank you so much for this, and I will look for more of your work!
– Suzanne
Hi Anja
As a woman who can identify with this in my own struggle with Animus possession for a long time, I am grateful to have read what feels concise in terms of action. Long standing is the conflict between trying to fight and being consumed by the fog, and often literature about the subject doesn’t offer action, only diagnosis, which in my opinion furthers the problem. And now while still difficult, I feel more confident that my deeper instinct is the right course of action – validation!
Thank you for sifting through the fog and highlighting the point!
hi Anja ! I am a typical case of animus possessed … Also I am very attached to my father and my thinking is very judgmental and idealistic … I thought I should be going for hormonal treatment as I get agressive too … Reading your lines I totally agree it is in the psyche and can you imagine I do have a problem with my feminine side and I have always looked at others girls in awe and this strange wonder that there is something they have that I don’t and it felt as if I was too masculine … The strange parodox is yet I feel like the girl who is attracted to men wants to be beautiful but feels too strong and powerful .,. Last time my boyfriend even complained why I dress up like a guy and why not wear a girlie T Shirt and I show off strong arms … I love men so that explains I am not gay but I am in trouble with law and order showing intimidation and bully … I really really want you to help me know how I can balance this out because this is messing my life to the point that I am not settling down and getting married and I don’t manage to fit in with women either … Plz plz guide me as to what is to be done . I have already invested too much money into psycho therapy until I read this …. I have all these symptoms … It also points out I am strangely parasitically attached to my father and I am famous for it and I am at war with my mother .
I am reading this 7 years later. I am pretty much in the same situation with my ANIMA, but actively pursuing my analysis. Can you share anything about your journey to update us?
On one of my regular quests for random knowledge, I read several articles on the Animus. This was the first one to break things down in a way that made sense. Thank you.
The Post Modern sexist agenda itself is a fad worse a waste of energy, better yet in most senses i.e. anything but academic bullshit it is worthless.
Thanks for the article.
Interesting article. The commenters above that decry this as sexist are a)taking a very narrow view, and b) projecting their discomfort onto the author. They should think carefully about why they are so offended by the idea that the genders might differ, given that we know that they do.
Awesome!
Anja – With reference to the interview of Jordan B Peterson by Cathy Newman on Channel 4 recently, and the follow-on interview that Peterson had with someone else, Peterson said that Cathy Newman had been animus possessed. Do you agree with his assessment? Could you explain your reply a bit further than just answering yes or no, please?
Thank you. Most interesting and disturbing at the same time. As a man I’ve also been very aware of a distinct female component to my inner life. Sufficiently strong that I think other people detect it quite easily and other men especially are suspicious of it, even though my outer life is quite conventionally hetrosexual.
Nor have I any real sense of what the proper and improper role of this feminine entity is; I await next month’s post with interest.
Verena Kast has helped me see this issue in an entirely different light. She argues that in her experience as a therapist, what people have been calling “negative” anima and animus are usually, in fact, mother or father complexes. For her the goal of therapy is to separate out these complexes from the capacities for discrimination and connection–which we all have–so that they can be integrated, leading to both a more creative life and better relationships to personality, Self, and the world. Ann Bedford Ulanov and James Hillman make similar arguments about complexes and “degendering” anima and animus. It makes sense to me as complexes are by definition possessive, where archetypes are not.
is there the same for men and anima posession?
thank you .
Thank you, so appreciate this address of this complex subject. Question, – do we mirror onto the animus negative characteristics that are then reflected back?
Hi Susan, your question is a bit unclear to me so I will answer, but please let me know if it does not address your question. The other that carries the Animus for you is a mirror to both the “positive” and “negative” qualities that live within you. The other experiences the same with you, that you mirror their “positive” and “negative” qualities. Of course this is the advantage of being in a relationship – the opportunity to engage and integrate these aspects of self through this mirror.
You have given me insight into my past relationships. As a Male I have chosen Animus driven women. Such choices have augured into why I had to over develope my Anima just so I could compensate for a lack of feeling and heart in my relationships and my own life. Fortunately for me I am living with a Jungian therapist who encourages me to pursue my own identity. She recommended this blog to me. Thank-you.
Peter
Well done! This is a excellent article on the Female Animus ! This is the best breakdown I have seen yet….do you have a similar article on Mans Anima??
I am blown away by this article.
I can not believe how exactly I fit the Animus possessed described here.
Now that I identified my problem, besides applying your guidelines to myself, what other outside help could I find? Psychoanalysis is out of question financially.
After years of trying to mask the pain and difficulty through meditation and spirituality, I realize even those methods are evasive and do not penetrate my core where the powerful and negative archetype, the Animus, rules.
I am 63, will I ever feel feminine heart?
Yes, you can find and feel your feminine heart. All my best to you…
Wow, if you’re looking for a classic case study I know the perfect BBB. Excellent article!
I thought this article was fantastic. I struggle with a negative animus and it reminds me of Clarissa Pinkola Estes version of Bluebeard. I had struggled to understand the Jungian perspective of Bluebeard but this highlights so much of it ! It’s a negative controlling and killer, animus ! Absolutely honed in to kill the anima that sees the truth. The anima can’t even dress or appear feminine or else the animus will threaten. Thanks for you’re article , incredibly enlightening !
How do I deal with a woman/wife who is animus possessed? Who is extremely aggressive?
As a Loving husband, I still love her as we are married for a long 22 years. I am enduring the pain with what I believe is verbal and emotional abuse To me, with a hope that one day she will be back to her better self. This has been the worse period of our marriage past 9 months.,,
Psychology visits and marriage counseling are not really helping much!
Appreciate any insight
Abused loving Husband seeking help
Ok I’m freaking out here because what you described sounds exactly like something I’ve been struggling with for a really long time and especially in the past few years, nearly making me impossible to live with for my friends and family and anyone who comes to know me. I would like to change. I would really like to change.
You can, Maddy, the issue/problem is never in one or the other. It is always in the inner relationship between them. All my best…
I genuinely made it halfway through this thinking it was satire about the outdated concept of an animus that invalidates the rationality and opinions of “animus-possessed” and “counter-instinctual” women, and an anima that vilifies the “sickening” sentimentality and homosexuality of men.
Sadly no, this is a promotion of the archaic perspective that a woman is likely expressing opinions that aren’t her own to begin with, but the misleading whispers of her animus (who as a man is naturally much smarter than her so she can’t outwit him). The expression of these opinions are detrimental to her individuation, understandably arouse outrage in men (who have ACTUAL logos), and are dangerous to society as a collective. She should just bite her tongue since her nature is eros and she is basically a walking rehabilitation center for men and their shadows and a final platform for logos to integrate. No need to adapt these constructs to modern times at all…
Don’t get me wrong, women can be overbearing harpies and should actively and consistently practice inner work- but the animus/anima are seriously overdue for reinterpretation. Telling women that being strong-willed means that they are not being feminine, that being active and creative is counter to their true nature and detrimental to their evolution, or that they need to constantly question if their thoughts are coming from a scheming man who is smarter and more powerful than her that lives in her unconscious and she will only be whole if she symbolically marries him, is not helping anybody. The animus/anima in their current incarnations are far too repressive and a product of their (sexist) time.
You should probably read the “anima possession” piece too. The “smarter man” as you put it distorts in its entirety what the unconscious is. Its what you don’t know, and their is a tonne of what you don’t know. You need a study of what unconscious as opposed to conscious means in Jungian psychology, chaos and order, these are meant to be universal principles to describe reality. You are caught up on the language but it’s merely a map to describe the territory that you missed. I’m sorry we lack the tongue for these analysis, but that’s the whole point of the unconscious, it’s new, novel, mysterious, don’t let the symbolic language mask the information being expressed. On the machine you are reading this from, only 1s and 0s, on and off are happening, but you surely got a lot more than that!
Women are a rehab center for men…. and harpies…. what? What is your point exactly. How it what this is saying outdated if you are calling women harpies, and accusing men of being needy children.
wonderful writing and exploration
Wonderful article, including the companion Anima article. Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Hello! It’s been three years since the same dream has been occurring. It’s always been a man, or a group of men trying to get into my house. At first, they always tried but couldn’t, then I started to dream that I was trying to close the gate and they saw it, sometimes I closed it with bad materials, like plastic instead of a padlock, and I was anxious for them to get in, so once, one invaded, and since then the dreams have been about the invasion, they usually catch something, I get desperate and cry, and they don’t like it. These dreams bother me a lot, and they started in the pandemic, when I was in a more reflective period, I approached the Christian religion, I started to read and think more, in contrast with really living. And a dream in particular makes me think that it has something to do with this: at the time that the group of men had not yet entered my house, I dreamed that my father said that my brother, who has the name of an angel (Miguel), and my cousin, who also has the name of an angel (Gabriel) were arriving home with their friends, and I was in despair trying to lock the house gate so that they would not enter, the sky, especially in this dream, was red and at the same dark weather, and it was one of the dreams that most affected me. When I came into contact with the concept of animus, the way I feel about the masculine and even the feminine made total sense, I know that the dream has something to do with it, but I don’t know how to stop, move on to the next dream
thank you for the article
thank you for this article
I am critical of my partner and men in general
I wish I wasn’t quite so judgemental!
While I read this, I several times had to actually clutch my chest while I gasped. This feels like it word for word… it feels like someone has authored something that I’ve been going through for years by myself; confused, ashamed, clingy, manipulative, neurotic, self-destructive…. these patterns where I would be ready to meet with a man – yes, sex was the no. 1 goal here, the driving force, but then there was this force that pulled up along side it once plans started coming to fruition. It was like the confident, confortable self had left stage and the replacement is a drill sargeant. Mean. Someone who I have been arguing with and feeling crushed by everytime I decide to do something free/fun with a person… in bed… I have decided let’s go for it, this feels special.. yeah, the sargeant is scrutinizing me, scrutinizing him, and thats usually when skin picking starts. This is the only thing that has “protected” me from sleeping with these men. This event is 3-4x/ year. Wherein I “meet” someone online, decide to meet up… only feel like going for it if I’m… inspired. Ok. Thats more than enough.
I have just within the last 10 minutes found this site.. I have spent years reading, just honestly so much mental energy over the years has gone into figuring out how to fix myself… and in my body, I feel relaxed, like I am finally going to be able to feel at home here.
I can’t thank you enough.
I can’t relate to this at all, and there men in my dreams are usual quite benign and incidental. Women, on the other hand, try to dominate and coerce me, and the anima article fits me way better. Jung admitted this was all a work in progress in need of more empirical data. I wonder if some female thinking types have an anima instead.
Yes they definitely do, and your intuitions in this respect on on point.
What is the concept of animus-possession, and how does it differ from other forms of possession?
Thank you Anja, very helpful indeed.
Is there literature on the wounded Animus in men and the causes and effects of such?
Just wondering.
But for now, this is a compelling exercise.
Many thanks.
Best regards,
Loretta