Intrinsics of Individuation Process

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The founder of analytical psychology, Carl Gustav Jung had coined the term ‘individuation’ to describe the process of self realization. It is considered as dependent on the interplay of the elements derived from conscious and unconscious experiences. There is a unique kind of synthesis involved in the emergence of individuation. Jung presents the aim of individuation as the liberation of self from false abstractions of persona and the impulsive invocations of primordial impressions.

The aim of individuation is nothing less than to divest the self of the false wrappings of the persona on the one hand and the suggestive power of primordial images on the other.

Thus individuation helps a person to navigate through the fragmentations and facades of the persona. Persona emerges as a complex collection of performances in the social fabric. It is the social mask we wear, the role we present to the world. On the other hand, the concept of shadow represents the unconscious aspects of our personality that we deny or repress, including negative traits. Anima and animus are the other important concepts from analytical psychology. The anima is the unconscious feminine aspect in men, and the animus is the unconscious masculine aspect in women.

Individuation involves these key aspects. Without confronting the currents and characteristics of…