Rowntree, C. (2023). The man in the mirror: A phenomenological study of women’s experience in integrating the inner masculine [Unpublished Master’s thesis]. Alef Trust & Liverpool John Moores University.
This qualitative study explored Western women’s experience of integrating the inner masculine or animus. Utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, the study focused on the experience of integrating the inner masculine for Western women participating in women’s circles and communities. Through line-by-line analysis of nine semi-structured interviews, five research themes were established. Those were: a cyclical five-stage process of integration, the recognition of inner imbalance, reconnection with and definition of the inner masculine, the impact of this process upon relationships, and the impact of women’s circles and communities upon the integration process. By comparing these findings with those of past research on inner masculine and feminine qualities and the journey to individuation, the study aimed to bring experiential research on animus connection in women into the 21st century. It is hoped that these findings, and the further research recommended, can support women in the Western world through the process of inner masculine integration in pursuit of the state of inner union once known as the sacred marriage or inner hieros gamos that could benefit them, their relationships, and the wider world.
