As I was reading about Jung’s 4 stages of the Animus (the unconscious masculine within a Woman), I noticed myself being at odds with the description. It did not ring entirely true or accurate to me as a woman.

The stages of development for the Animus are supposed to be, freely quoting M.L. von Franz in “Man and His Symbols”:

• 1st A Man of Power, like a “muscle man”
• 2nd A Man of Planned Action
• 3rd A Man of the “Word“, like a professor or clergyman
• 4th A Man of (Spiritual) Meaning

I found that this progression sounded too much like Extroverted Sensing (Se) on the first level and Introverted Intuition (Ni) on the highest level, showcasing Jung’s own Ni bias (I type him as INFJ). Perhaps he (unknowingly) envisioned the height of the masculine as his own type’s highest manifestation. However, this won’t apply to every woman, particularly women who have weak Ni and/or don’t value it – hence especially ESFJ and ISFJ women.

Based on my own experiences/observations as a woman and also equating this progression to the dating experience for many women (essentially I see a mirror effect between the inner anima/animus and the kinds of people we attract), here is my revision / addition:

• 1st The Devil
• 2nd The Prince
• 3rd The Knight
• 4th The Martyr-God

I am using deliberately very iconographic / archetypal examples here. (They also stem from how men are often portrayed in romantic fiction for women – either exactly in those terms, or similarly.)

Let me explain further each animus / man:

My Revised 4 Stages of Animus in Detail

First, the Devil animus manifests in dating as the woman being attracted to evil power and destruction in some sense, the quintessential “bad boy”, which at worst can range as far as criminals, murderers, serial killers, etc. – or on the less severe end, regular men who treat her poorly or take advantage of her. (In fantasy fiction, this animus is often depicted as animalistic beasts, demons or other foul creatures.)

This is a reflection of her inner self, which is (secretly) quite selfish, immature and destructive. (Typically, this stems from having been in contact with destructive people in her inner circle, whilst lacking the inner strength & insight to withstand that darkness – hence this is more common in young women.) She projects that selfishness, immaturity and/or unacknowledged deviousness to the men around her.

At its best, she is able to get whatever she wants – but later on, she will realize that whatever she wanted was like a bad deal with the devil. At this level, she may exhibit destructive, toxic or even “evil“ behaviors, hurting others in the process. Or, she may turn this destructive tendency inward, letting people walk all over her and/or mistreating herself in other ways.

Secondly, the Prince animus is a more romantic manifestation, thereby mirroring the 2nd stage of Jung’s anima. However, the main focus is on status and/or wealth. The woman is overly attracted to any signifiers of status and/or wealth in a man (e.g celebrities, entrepreneurs, executives, athletes, millionaires etc.) and this becomes the main driver – in her relationship or in contrast in her own career.

There is still quite a selfish element present as in the previous stage – but it is much more subsumed by the desire to do well in society or social groups, so at times it can disguise itself as primarily benefiting others.

Often times, the men she attracts at this stage are overly obsessed with their own work or for whatever reason have little time for her, typically being overly focused on themselves. Or on the other hand, she may exhibit this behavior instead, drowning herself in work and tirelessly trying to raise her own status (either by herself or through her children). But something will still feel like it is missing.

Thirdly, the Knight animus is characterized by devotion and commitment, in favor of a higher cause or moral code. At this stage the man in her life is truly devoted and committed to her and the other people around him, not just in word or on paper, but also via consistent action. He truly makes her a priority in his life, treats her well, protects others and also tries to do good in the world.

(This is similar to depictions of courtly love, but rather the idealized version of such, due to the fact that actual courtly love was still based very much on status as the previous stage.) The romance at this stage is less performative and runs deeper.

The selfish element is in the far background – instead of status or wealth, the focus is on doing the right thing. Similarly, the woman herself is devoted to a higher moral code or cause. She attempts to treat people and herself in a noble manner. In turn, the men in her life do the same.

Fourthly, the Martyr-God animus is very similar to Jesus and God from the Christian tradition. (I won’t equate them with this stage for I am not a Christian myself, however it appears to me that Jesus functions as a sort of animus ideal for Christian women.) At this final stage, the Martyr-God animus is sacrificing certain (selfish) aspects, in order to create the highest good for humanity and possibly even existence itself.

Just as a God is a creator of life, so is the woman at this stage. Now, creating life as a mother can be a factor, but not all mothers are automatically at this stage, and a woman does not need to be a mother to reach this stage. This requires a true spiritual devotion, even higher than the Knight’s, towards the ultimate good of existence – including that of herself. (However, as a woman she cannot sacrifice herself fully, because that would overpower her own femininity – fully sacrificing yourself as a woman, especially for no good reason, can be in the realm of the Devil animus).

This can extend to an almost religious or spiritual dimension, though it does not have to. It is simply focusing on what sacrifices are best for the common good and humanity’s evolution. The men in her life will exhibit the same kind of behavior and mentality. If fully actualized, it will feel like the woman (and the man in her life) can “move mountains“ and weather any (emotional) storm with faith in a brighter tomorrow.

The Stages IRL

At this point, it should be mentioned that no one is statically tied to any particular developmental stage. It is possible to go back and forth between stages or even be somewhere in-between two, depending on personal maturity, trauma, and possibly bigger life changes or (un)fortunate events.

Additionally, if you are a man reading this, you might be able to see these stages showcasing the levels of your own maturation and masculinity. I would say the two are strongly interlinked – both the idealized masculine in a woman and the actual masculine in a man.

As you can see, my take on the animus mostly removes any functional bias – all 16 personality types could be seen at any stage.

The kind of Animus / man you are attracting as a woman is closely overlapping with the Imago concept, which I have used in helping myself and some of my clients with finding their romantic partner. If you would like me to help you do the same, check out my Services. 🙂

P.S: Here is the video that inspired me to write this article (it goes even further into my thoughts on the anima & dating in men and personality type interactions).