According to Dr.Jung, to
find one’s self, one needs to understand the layers of their
conscious and unconscious and come into terms with them.
Persona:
Our part that we expose to the outside world. As much as we incorporate
this part in our lives and have the risk of believing this is truly
us, we need this ‘mask’ (or masks) to establish a social
life. The personalities we uphold in relation to our job, politics,
religion, race, fall under this persona.
Ego:
This is the center of our consciousness. It can be called our identity
or "I". Yet, it is not the whole of our psyche. In Jungian
theory, the unconscious is so vast that it is impossible to fully
bring it into our consciousness. To entangle it, may be dangerous
as well as to ignore it, may block our personal progress. In the
worst case scenario, it will surface during moments of danger and
crisis.
Shadow:
It is the part of ourselves that we do not accept. We should make
peace with this part of us, yet this is our unpleasant and dark
side, which is not so comforting to see.
Anima/Animus:
In the simplest manner, the Animus is the male qualities in a female.
In Latin it means soul, energy and courage; it bares the same routes
with the word ‘animosity’ in English. We can say that
it is a slightly negative form of courage. The Anima, a word that
Jung came up with, is used to describe the womanly aspect of the
male psyche. Dr. Jung defends that the reflection of the soul is
found in the opposite sex. We can say that the Anima and Animus
are messengers (Hermes) between the conscious and unconscious.
Self:
It is the center of our psyche. As seen in the diagram it is the
core and it is difficult for the ego to accept such a thing. With
the finding of the self, all pieces are unified, and we achieve
balance and happiness.
