The anima and animus are a pair of dualistic, Jungian archetypes which form a syzygy, or union of opposing forces.
The goal is to become integrated over time into a well-functioning whole, similar to positive psychology's understanding of a well-tuned personality through something like a Goldilocks principle.
[1] For men, this involves accepting eros, or desire for connection; for women, this means developing logos, or reason and rationality.
A therapist's empathetic countertransference can reveal that logos and/or eros are in need of repair through a psychopomp guide to mediate between the unconscious and conscious of the identified patient's Self.
Jung believed a male's sensitivity is often lesser or repressed, and therefore considered the anima one of the most significant autonomous complexes.
Jung believed that the anima and the animus manifest themselves by appearing in dreams and influence a person's attitudes and interactions with the opposite sex.
In his book The Invisible Partners, John A. Sanford said that the key to controlling one's anima/animus is to recognize it when it manifests and exercise our ability to discern the anima/animus from reality.
[10] Jung believed anima development has four distinct levels of Eros, which in The Practice of Psychotherapy he named Eve, Helen of Troy, Mary, mother of Jesus and Sophia.
At this level, women can now seem to possess virtue by the perceiving man (even if in an esoteric and dogmatic way), in as much as certain activities deemed consciously unvirtuous cannot be applied to her.
[citation needed] The fourth and final phase of anima development is Sophia, named after the Greek word for wisdom.
The most important aspect of this final level is that, as the personification "Wisdom" suggests, the anima is now developed enough that no single object can fully and permanently contain the images to which it is related.
[13] The animus "first appears as a personification of mere physical power – for instance as an athletic champion or muscle man, such as 'the fictional jungle hero Tarzan'".
[16] Jung noted that "in mythology, this aspect of the animus appears as Hermes, messenger of the gods; in dreams he is a helpful guide."
[citation needed] In the book The Invisible Partners, John A. Sanford said that the key to controlling one's anima/animus is to recognize it when it manifests and exercise our ability to discern the anima/animus from reality.
[17] Hillman states that animus "refers to spirit, to logos, word, idea, intellect, principle, abstraction, meaning, ratio, nous.
... the anima and animus have dual aspects: They can bring life-giving development and creativeness to the personality, or they can cause petrification and physical death".