The Inner Lives of Men: A Heuristic Inquiry from a Jungian Perspective

Abstract

Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung first coined the term anima to grasp men’s inner experience. He defined anima as the soul-image of a man and saw it as an archetype, or blueprint, of the human psyche. In recent years, much of the literature around men's issues focuses heavily on sexuality, violence, and a fear or rejection of feminine values. With anima being historically tied to feminine traits, there is a scarcity of research that offers insight into such fear of femininity or into men's inner experience as a whole in a 21st century context. This heuristic inquiry explores men’s experience with anima through semi-formal interviews with men over the age of 18. The methodology of heuristic inquiry offers flexibility in language for the subjective perspectives that are essential to the expression of anima. The group of co-researchers (participants) presented holds 12 men from diverse cultures. Emergent themes include an awareness of traditional masculinity, varying levels of consciousness of the inner life, lack of masculine emotional role models, and the fear of anima as the fear of the unknown. As our culture moves in the direction of social justice and inclusion, mental health practitioners will find it meaningful to bring men into the collective narratives of empathy and acceptance through a deeper understanding of the experience of men's inner lives.