anima & animus

Jung believed that within the shadow were two contra-sexual archetypes: the anima and the animus. An unconscious feminine aspect called the anima within those socialized male, and an unconscious masculine aspect called the animus in those socialized female. He believed that the anima and animus were seldom realized because of their distance from our consciousness.

Integrating the anima becomes the Eros of nurturing and care invoking the mother archetype. Integrating the animus becomes the Logos of assertiveness and deliberation. The recognition of the anima gives rises to a triad: the masculine subject, the feminine subject, and the transcendent anima or animus. Integrating these archetypes makes us more aware of who we really are and of the elements in our psyche beyond our own control.