Working with archetypes in therapy

The impact of Jungian archetypes on the expression of self for men can be profound, says men's group facilitator and psychotherapist, Alexander Gray...

Two decades ago, G. S. Hill wrote a vital work in which he considered how movement between masculine and feminine archetypes can represent the natural flow of opposites in the psyche. It is a work that continues to inspire and inform today. 

Hill suggests that there are four patterns of masculine and feminine, that sit on two polarities. The journey through these polarities echos the development of the self.

Static Feminine is a state of being and wholeness where there is no individuality, which opposes Dynamic Masculine, thrusting out of the Static Feminine with initiative and drive. 

Conversely, Static Masculine carries forward the linear progression from Dynamic Masculine into a system of rules, regulations and meaning; while the Dynamic Feminine completes the four patterns through imagination and play - habit and order are replaced by inspiration and yielding to flow. 

All these patterns are positive forces in the psyche, until trauma impacts their development resulting in negative expressions. The result is an understanding of the self in relation to the individual soul (microdevelopment) and the collective (macrodevelopment). 

What does this mean, though and how applicable is it today? Let's look at a case study drawn from my work with boarding school survivors.

It took Giles a long time to break out of the Static Feminine as he had a challenging mother, who made a lot of demands and swung from anger to love depending on her mood. With his father not present from an early age, Giles did not transition through adolescence to a healthy Dynamic Masculine due to losing a physical example in the home environment. 

Attending boarding school from 8-18 represented negative Static Masculine for Giles as his forced independence was contained within a conformist system, followed by holidays at home to get ‘smothered’ by his mother - a regression to the Static Feminine. This experience left him aimless and unaccountable for himself, he lacked agency. 

Professionally, Giles was drawn to the Dynamic Masculine – represented by successful female bosses. Giles was stuck in the Static Feminine, unable to develop his authentic self. It was only when Giles married a woman in her Dynamic Feminine and became a father that he really began to believe in who he was and moved into the positive Static Masculine providing boundaries, protection and conformity around the family unit.

For an individual man, theories held by a professional and explored in personal therapy can lead to greater self-acceptance and growth. However, group work can also be powerful. There is something hugely transformative about being vulnerable and open-hearted amongst a group of men. The stereotype of a man can be of isolation and poor communication, but as social creatures, men can learn to trust in being witnessed by other men, learning from what is reflected back to them.

As such, I am now facilitating men’s circles to hold a space for exploration and expression. My hope is that personal reflection will be welcomed in a group setting leading to other men engaging through word of mouth. As each man acknowledges their masculine and feminine parts they can move forward in life as a balanced individual for their own benefit and that of their community. 

I run two types of circles. Open circles allow each man to talk of what is important to them on that day, be heard by their peers and hear feedback if they want it from the group. Closed circles operate in the same way, but follow a specific theme which each man talks around, once agreed, allowing for greater depth on one aspect the group wants to work on.

To join a men’s circle in Twickenham, please get in touch through my profile. 

To find other groups, try www.menscircle.club or https://www.theunmaskedman.co.uk  

Further reading

• Dean, M. L. & Tate, C. C. (2016). Extending the legacy of sandra bem: Psychological androgyny as a touchstone conceptual advance for the study of gender in psychological science. Sex Roles, 76(11– 12), 643–654. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-016-0713-z 
• Frankel, R. (1998). The adolescent psyche: Jungian and Winnicottian perspectives. Routledge. 
• Hill, G. S. (2001). Masculine and feminine: The natural flow of opposites in the psyche. Shambhala. 
• Jung, C. G. (1991). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Routledge.
• Rowan, J. & Jacobs, M. (2002). The therapist’s use of self. Open University Press.