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Like many psychological processes, individuation is deceptively simple. How? On the surface, it begins with the question, "Who am I?" What could be easier to answer? I'm me. But who is that? Do we mean the Self? Our ego? Our conscious or unconscious? The process of individuation, of becoming a whole, integrated personality, and as we delve into Carl Jung's process, we see it is much more complex than it at first appears. Who am I?
Who am I? Does it depend on where you are? Are you one person at work: confident, capable, and self-assured? Are you another at home: mellow, easygoing, carefree? And are you yet another with friends: the life of the party, fun, wild? Most of us maintain different personalities, so to speak, that we display in different situations. Individuation occurs throughout life naturally, and it involves integrating these seemingly divergent aspects of our personality.
Individuation is affected by both external and internal factors. How?
External Influences on Individuation
Our personalities are shaped, in part, by outside forces. Jung believed that the environment in which we develop has a huge, and indelible, impact on our personalities. Will it cause us to bloom or wilt? As children, a positive environment provides stimuli, love, connections, and a variety of experiences that help us learn and grow. A negative environment, on the other hand, interferes with growth and hinders the integration of personality.
When children are exposed to environments in which they do not have access to positive stimuli or experiences, when their parents or guardians transfer their own tendencies onto them, or when they are punished without being guided, it can have a negative effect on the development of personality.
Outer aspects affect both our development and the process of individuation. "Individuation has two principal aspects," wrote Jung. "In the first place it is an internal and subjective process of integration, and in the second it is an equally indispensible process of objective relationship. Neither can exist without the others, although sometimes one and sometimes the other predominates."
While individuation is the process of integrating our personalities, external aspects play a huge role in that we have to recognize that we are who we are in relation to others. We need to interact with others and with the world in order to understand our whole personality and psyche. A fully individualized person can then present the true self to the world.
At the same time, to reach that state, we have to separate ourselves from others and see ourselves as distinct and individual. The key is to see oneself as responsible for one's own emotional state.
Inner Aspects of Individuation
Each step of the individuation process requires becoming conscious of different aspects of our personality. Jung identified these as the:
1 Mask. This is our Dr. Jekyll, the good face that we present to the world. Our mask is how we appear to others and it is essential in our interactions with society. When we do not adopt a mask or identify closely enough, we can appear false. If we identify too closely, on the other hand, we lose sight of who we really are.
2 Shadow. Here is Mr. Hyde. Our shadow self is like our evil twin. It represents the darker side of our nature, that which harbors our indifference, greed, or egotism. While we usually suppress these negative traits, individuation requires us to analyze this side of ourselves and guide it.
3 Anima or Animus. This is like the concept of ying and yang. In men, anima is the representation of female tendencies, such as nurturing, caring, and intuition. In women, animus is the personification of male tendencies, like power. This part of our personality is affected by the collective view of men and women, as well as our own experiences. Again, individuation calls for us to integrate these aspects into our true self.
4 Wise Old Man. This is an archetype for power and wisdom, positive attributes that can become dangerous when men identify too closely with the Wise Old Man. Power can become destructive; throughout the process of individuation, we have to analyze and guide this aspect of the personality.
5 The great mother. This archetype is similar to the wise old man. Instead of power, though, a woman who identifies with the great mother feels an unlimited capacity to help, protect, love, guide, and mother. The risk is that she will wear herself out in helping others; it is also possible that she will view everyone else as children and as needing her help.
Individuation is a process that continues throughout our lives. We work, whether consciously or not, to integrate these aspects of our personality into a true self that we can present to the world, to our friends, to our family, and to ourselves. We are often obliged to adopt a number of different masks, making individuation quite difficult at times. The goal, though, is being able to achieve unity and an understanding of your true personality.
Who am I? Does it depend on where you are? Are you one person at work: confident, capable, and self-assured? Are you another at home: mellow, easygoing, carefree? And are you yet another with friends: the life of the party, fun, wild? Most of us maintain different personalities, so to speak, that we display in different situations. Individuation occurs throughout life naturally, and it involves integrating these seemingly divergent aspects of our personality.
Individuation is affected by both external and internal factors. How?
External Influences on Individuation
Our personalities are shaped, in part, by outside forces. Jung believed that the environment in which we develop has a huge, and indelible, impact on our personalities. Will it cause us to bloom or wilt? As children, a positive environment provides stimuli, love, connections, and a variety of experiences that help us learn and grow. A negative environment, on the other hand, interferes with growth and hinders the integration of personality.
When children are exposed to environments in which they do not have access to positive stimuli or experiences, when their parents or guardians transfer their own tendencies onto them, or when they are punished without being guided, it can have a negative effect on the development of personality.
Outer aspects affect both our development and the process of individuation. "Individuation has two principal aspects," wrote Jung. "In the first place it is an internal and subjective process of integration, and in the second it is an equally indispensible process of objective relationship. Neither can exist without the others, although sometimes one and sometimes the other predominates."
While individuation is the process of integrating our personalities, external aspects play a huge role in that we have to recognize that we are who we are in relation to others. We need to interact with others and with the world in order to understand our whole personality and psyche. A fully individualized person can then present the true self to the world.
At the same time, to reach that state, we have to separate ourselves from others and see ourselves as distinct and individual. The key is to see oneself as responsible for one's own emotional state.
Inner Aspects of Individuation
Each step of the individuation process requires becoming conscious of different aspects of our personality. Jung identified these as the:
1 Mask. This is our Dr. Jekyll, the good face that we present to the world. Our mask is how we appear to others and it is essential in our interactions with society. When we do not adopt a mask or identify closely enough, we can appear false. If we identify too closely, on the other hand, we lose sight of who we really are.
2 Shadow. Here is Mr. Hyde. Our shadow self is like our evil twin. It represents the darker side of our nature, that which harbors our indifference, greed, or egotism. While we usually suppress these negative traits, individuation requires us to analyze this side of ourselves and guide it.
3 Anima or Animus. This is like the concept of ying and yang. In men, anima is the representation of female tendencies, such as nurturing, caring, and intuition. In women, animus is the personification of male tendencies, like power. This part of our personality is affected by the collective view of men and women, as well as our own experiences. Again, individuation calls for us to integrate these aspects into our true self.
4 Wise Old Man. This is an archetype for power and wisdom, positive attributes that can become dangerous when men identify too closely with the Wise Old Man. Power can become destructive; throughout the process of individuation, we have to analyze and guide this aspect of the personality.
5 The great mother. This archetype is similar to the wise old man. Instead of power, though, a woman who identifies with the great mother feels an unlimited capacity to help, protect, love, guide, and mother. The risk is that she will wear herself out in helping others; it is also possible that she will view everyone else as children and as needing her help.
Individuation is a process that continues throughout our lives. We work, whether consciously or not, to integrate these aspects of our personality into a true self that we can present to the world, to our friends, to our family, and to ourselves. We are often obliged to adopt a number of different masks, making individuation quite difficult at times. The goal, though, is being able to achieve unity and an understanding of your true personality.
About the Author:
Dr. Seth is one of the finest San Francisco psychologist who provides consultation and supervision services to individuals and couples. He practice as an analytical psychologist who has received lot of awards and honors in the past.
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