The Seven Basic Plots - Christopher Booker [519]
Animus: the corresponding masculine component in a woman's psyche. This similarly determines her relationship to the male sex and to the `masculine values'. In stories where the central figure is a heroine, the animus is personified by the hero (or a 'Prince').
Dark Masculine: this represents the masculine values of power and order when they are cut off from the connecting feminine and centred on the ego.
Dark Feminine: this represents the feminine when it is taken over by the ego. Behind an outward show of `feminine' attributes, it becomes driven by the dark masculine.
`Unrealised value': term used to describe the way in which `dark figures' in stories (e.g. `Dark Father; `Dark Mother; `Dark Alter-ego, `Dark Other Half') represent the negative version of those qualities which the hero or heroine must make positive in themselves to achieve maturity and thus to reach a 'happy ending'.
Shadow: Jung's term to describe the negative elements called into play when psychic development becomes unbalanced and `one-sided'. The `shadow' includes all those elements of which ego-consciousness is not aware. This may result in `projection of the shadow' onto others (see below). When people are caught out by these limitations on their awareness they `fall into their shadow' (see Tragedy).
Projection: the ability of the psyche to `project' onto the external world those archetypal elements which should be internal. E.g. we talk of `anima projection' when someone falls foolishly in love; or `shadow projection' when people display irrational antagonism to those who embody their own failings ('mote and beam syndrome').
Ego/Self confusion: describes the unconscious process whereby the urge to totality represented by the Self can be hijacked by the ego (individually or collectively). This leads to `ego inflation, as the ego then claims the moral superiority of acting in some higher, selfless cause. Invaluable to understanding a wide range of social and political phenomena, from puritanical self-righteousness in religion to Marxism, from the more extreme forms of environmentalism to political correctness.
Sentimentality: another expression of `ego/Self confusion, where the ego enjoys a makebelieve version of non-egocentric qualities associated with the Self. It takes on their outward form, but separated from their inner reality. As Hollywood long since discovered, any loving emotion can be sentimentally appropriated in this way, such as love between man and woman, between parents and children, love of country, nature or God. Helpful in understanding the appeal of all types of fantasy-based storytelling and art.
Inferior: the positive elements needed to make up a deficiency caused by psychological onesidedness may often appear in some `inferior' (i.e. undeveloped, weak or distorted) form. They thus point up that which needs to be consciously developed for integration to be achieved (e.g. the role played by `helpful animals' in folk tales).
Above the Line/Below The Line: centrally important feature of storytelling which shows the `little world' of a story divided onto two levels. In archetypal terms, this division represents the psychic split created by ego-consciousness.
'Above the line' we see initially dominant `dark' characters whose egocentricity throws into shadow `below the line' those characters who represent the `light'. The archetypal structure of stories shows these `light' elements finally emerging from the shadows, to eliminate the distortions of egocentricity and thus to integrate the two levels.
Ruling Consciousness: the state of collective ego-consciousness which characterises every social group, establishing its prevailing attitudes and values. Since ego-consciousness is by definition `one-sided, this invariably casts a shadow which (a) it projects onto other groups, and (b) obscures those members of the group `below the line' who represent values missing from its ruling mindset.
`Change of Heart': centrally important motif in stories, showing the process whereby a 'dark' character may switch