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Mother Archetype XI – Teenage Crisis – Libido

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Before wrapping up this series, a pit-stop is due. Not touching upon an important phenomenon would make this whole series incomplete. What we have been talking about in this whole series is really million shades of Libido and its dynamics. Now the question will follow naturally – what Libido is.

These days Libido, almost without exception (and sadly!), is used to refer to sexual drive. This definition in fact owes its roots to the the early years of Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytical theories. Interestingly, with time he changed his definition of Libido. He described it as life instinct, which is responsible for all sorts of urges and drives we feel, which also includes, obviously the sexual drive. Yet, in general use, Libido, over time, got reduced to the sexual drive.

Featured Image:
Inside the head of a teenager

SCULPTURE: Drunkness of Bacchus and Faun by Michelangelo.
Greek-Roman God Dionysus – symbol of Libido in erotic sense
(a.k.a state of mind, purpose and meaning of teenage years)

“The Dionysiac religion contained orgiastic rites that implied the need for an initiate to abandon himself to his animal nature and thereby experience the full fertilizing power of the Earth Mother. The initiating agent for this rite of passage in the Dionysiac ritual was wine. It was supposed to produce the symbolic lowering of consciousness necessary to introduce the novice into the closely guarded secrets of nature, whose essence was expressed by a symbol of erotic fulfillment.”

Jung, Carl Gustav. Man and His Symbols . Random House Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

the image is taken from Internet

Libido Is Not (Only) Sex Drive

On the contrary, Jung introduced a broader understanding of Libido. He described it as totality of psychic energy. The laws of energy apply to it as well – it never disappears, always changes its form. As usual, in front of the lucidity of his mind, I do not know if someone can object this definition.

Usually, the widely practiced and generally accepted analytical psychoanalysis schools offer detailed description of the transfer of Libido during the first half of life – namely from mouth to anal to genital organs etc.  But they notably fail to explain the mental processes happen in the second half of life or anything that is not about erotic love. For example, the feeling of Empathy that especially gets upper hand in our mind in the second half of life. Even the love we feel for our own kids and parents. Or our mental set-up not to cease hoping for better, believe in magic, seek guidance of supernatural powers, need for spirituality etc. All these are part of life instincts and equally important urges in certain periods of human life. We know only too well that disregarding these urges may lead to tragic results and broken destinies.

To sum up, Jung, (I think) rightfully, understands Libido not as sexual force solely, but as totality of psychic energy. For him, the unconscious itself is this energy, it is part of nature. It is not a dirtbag for incompatible desires and fears only as regarded in Freudian psychoanalysis. It holds them too, but also is source of life growing germs too. He may have agreed with Freud when it is about the first half of life. He asserts that in the second half this energy gradually retreats from erotic life, diverting itself towards empathy, non-erotic love and spirituality. Not so good news, such transformations of this energy never happens slowly and quietly. They are tumultuous psychic processes and we experience them as existential crisis – namely, the second one would be mid-life crisis.

Libido and Teen Suicides

Specifically, in our Mother Archetype series, what we talked about was mostly the dynamics of Libido during adolescence, or teen years. This is one of the most transformative and most difficult to handle periods we experience as humans. This is a period, I guess both geniuses would agree on it – when Libido moves to the genital area. This is the phase of procreation and as Jung says, time to dive in and fully rejoice the carefully guarded secrets of nature. Put it plainly, walking erection and baby-making in full force. Yet this transformation doesn’t come as a prize. At this period, Libido – the psychic energy, through mental efforts of each individual, should detach itself from the safe zone of the childhood, the mother (the instinctual safe harbor and infantile bond) and channel up to the next phase.  This detachment would mean “breaking off” the shell of family protection to build an individual personality. Mythologically speaking, this process would mean to symbolically die to the previous self and reborn into a new life full of creativity and potential, but with great deal of uncertainty and doubts as well.

How would it feel?

Compare it to losing oneself in an unknown forest at night in some unknown spot on Earth and frantically trying to find the way home. Or waking up to find oneself in the middle of ocean with no land in horizon and all the while learning to swim, trying to stay afloat and finding harbor. Frustration beyond explanation, right? This is a mentally and physically quite destructive process. Rebirth and re-discovery of self should pass thru destruction, rule of thumb! Failing to go through this mental transformation is basically shrinking away from responsibilities of new life and hanging on to what becomes agonizing already. No wonder, currently we hear about so many cases of adolescence suicide, depression, obsessions with immoral behavior (a quick resort to hide from uncertainty), addictions, drugs etc. Lack of conventional wisdom, guidance and consumerism takes this whole process to a whole new painful level.

To round up Jung’s thoughts on it, the individual, who manages successful transformation (and we are talking about a process that lasts for years), would return to make part of the community not as a shadow of someone, but as “citizen” – equal member of the city, motherland, tribe, community whatever one belongs to.

For the myriad forms of transformation in boys and girls, check out the Mother Archetype to find your own type.

The next and last post will be about Incest – why sexual relationship between the same blood relatives is taboo and self-occurring source of guilt and shame. Why are we built in this way? Is Incest a problem or solution?

Mother Archetype I
Mother Archetype II – Son Lover of the Mother Goddess
Mother Archetype III – Don Juanism
Mother Archetype IV – Homosexuality and Impotence
Mother Archetype V – Exaggerated Maternal Instinct
Mother Archetype VI – Home-Wrecker With a Mission
Mother Archetype VII – Shadow Daughter
Mother Archetype VIII – Mom Hater
Mother Archetype IX – Part Human, Part Supernatural
Mother Archetype X – Motherland
Mother Archetype XII – Incest: Problem or Solution?

Mother Archetype X – Motherland

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I first wrote this post back in October, 2020 on my Instagram. At the time, including the summer of 2020, I was writing about the Mother Archetype. Due to a strange, bittersweet coincidence, I happened to deeply feel the bond we associate with “Mother” and our “birth place / motherland”.

War, re-discovered patriotism and suffering

Whoever has followed the series, already, knows, both phenomena are different manifestations of the Mother Archetype. The war of over 25 years ago, due to which I had become refugee and had eventually cooled into a frozen conflict, haphazardly reignited. I was totally consumed and shattered by the events. So much that couldn’t pull myself together to log into my site for months. I mean, even months after the war ended in 44 days.

Efesina Diana, Roma @museicapitolini

In the background of this war and crippling pandemic, fashion seemed so superfluous. I kept asking and still ask myself why I dedicated this blog exclusively to fashion. And again, after putting my life on hold for months, the blog is the first place I log in to have a sense of purpose and continuity. In these moments of deep perplexity, this site feels like a tie that bonds me to the physical life. It pushed me to channel my efforts in one direction when I was crumbling into million pieces couple of years ago. Now this is my refuge again to hold on to reality, and not roll back into that darkness of nowhere.

Honestly, I understand I have complicated relationship with fashion. It is both superfluous and the most natural way of self-expression, the undeniable connection with the other world. It is Godly, but without God. I better stop and share the post that I consider worthy to stay. As mentioned, it points out a very important connection between mother, city and country of birth – the motherland. This connection is often an overlooked root of patriotism and admiration for heroism.

Statue of Queen Tuya, Roma, @musei_vaticani

The original post with slight modification:

In these troubling times for my motherland, Jung’s writings on the Mother Archetype make more sense than ever to me. Living the experience is important to realize why we call our country of birth Motherland, why we can’t detach ourselves from it, our decisions, choices, even random tweets in the background are conditioned by our attitude towards the Mother Archetype. To break down a bit, by our attitude to our own mother, motherland, our city of birth, our own identity, alma mater, and even death.

As for this specific connection between the Mother Archetype and the “Motherland”, Jung refers to mythical monuments as a visual guide. He explains this intricate web of emotions and psychic processes as below. Very obvious, all the monuments share two not so little details – all are women and all carry City Walls on their heads instead of crown.

“The symbol-creating process substitutes for the Mother the City…. what was natural and useful to the child [ref. mother attachment] is a psychic danger for the adult, and this is expressed by the symbol of incest…: the infantile attachment [to mother] is a crippling limitation for the adult, whereas attachment to the city fosters his civic virtues and at least enables him to lead a useful existence.”

Therefore certain mythical female statues have city walls on the heads instead of crown. These monuments symbolize the transfer of attachment from actual mother to the motherland / “mothercity”. This is an indication of healthy dynamics of psychic growth. Does it explain why patriotisms and martyrdom are so revered?

Right here, these thoughts make me wonder. What Jung would have to tell about, from what I see, another round of failed globalism. This archetype gives us a pretty much rounded answer to why globalism is such a difficult process. No matter how amazing it sounds in theory, the process has more layers than we realize. But, I’ll just leave it there and come about to our series.

Read other posts of the series:
Mother Archetype I
Mother Archetype II – Son Lover of the Mother Goddess
Mother Archetype III – Don Juanism
Mother Archetype IV – Homosexuality and Impotence
Mother Archetype V – Exaggerated Maternal Instinct
Mother Archetype VI – Home-Wrecker With a Mission
Mother Archetype VII – Shadow Daughter
Mother Archetype VIII – Mom Hater
Mother Archetype IX – Part Human, Part Supernatural
Mother Archetype XI – Teenage Crisis – Libido
Mother Archetype XII – Incest: Problem or Solution?

Mother Archetype VIII – Mom Hater

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I must confess, it’s extremely hard to concentrate these days. Sometimes I find myself poking around for hours on social media, which leaves me almost nauseated afterwards. Worst part, I can’t stop doing it. My hand reaches my phone secretly. I put it away, suddenly I find myself opening a new internet page on computer. It feels like a whirlwind. But determined, today will finish another post in the series of the Mother Archetype. The last category of daughters – the stubborn “mom-hater”.

“Mom hate” driven life

Yes, you heard it, this is the fourth category-the last of four that Jung identified. He labels this category as Resistance to the Mother or Extreme Negative Mother Complex. Mom hater knows what she doesn’t want. But is usually completely lost as to what she would choose as her own fate. She concentrates all her instincts on the mother in the form of resistance. Obviously, such resistance (or straightforward hate?) would usually take symbolic form. Such as her resistance to or complete indifference to anything that comes under the head of family, community, society, convention etc. The mother as material, “matter”, may be at the back of her impatience with objects, clumsy handling of tools and bad taste in clothes.

Highly intellectual, this type of woman creates an environment ruled by sharp reasoning, cool judgment and superior knowledge where mother’s instinctual power doesn’t have a room. Thus, anything dark, obscure and unclear in her own nature is frustrating for her. Enter her “hate” zone. And all the while the world and life pass by her like a dream—an annoying source of illusions, disappointments, and irritations. All of which are due solely to the fact that she cannot bring herself to look straight ahead. Her own nature is what she fights against the hardest. Yet, the clarity of her mind makes her indispensable in professional life and she can make a great advisor.

Private Life of Mom Hater

She rebels with every fiber of her being against everything that springs from natural soil. Simultaneously she gets dominated in negative form by what she runs away. All instinctive processes meet with unexpected difficulties. It can be sexuality does not function properly, or the children are unwanted, or maternal duties seem unbearable etc. Even resistance to the mother (as uterus) may manifest itself in menstrual disturbances, failure of conception, disgust of pregnancy, hemorrhages and excessive vomiting during pregnancy, miscarriages, etc.

Fate doesn’t stop surprising even more. Interestingly, she may end up picking a partner that has her mother’s traits. Such women tend to live a more meaningful life in the second half of their lives only if they manage to face and digest that hellish obscurity of “femininity” and “maternity”.

Read other posts of the series:
Mother Archetype I
Mother Archetype II – Son Lover of the Mother Goddess
Mother Archetype III – Don Juanism
Mother Archetype IV – Homosexuality and Impotence
Mother Archetype V – Exaggerated Maternal Instinct
Mother Archetype VI – Home-Wrecker With a Mission
Mother Archetype VII – Shadow Daughter
Mother Archetype IX – Part Human, Part Supernatural

Cover photo: Gerd Altmann, Pixabay.com

Mother Archetype VII – Shadow Daughter

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I can’t believe it has been over a month that I haven’t returned to this section. I had intended to finish up the Mother Archetype series this month. This makes me think, when the Mother, or any sort of manifestation of the Mother Archetype is in trouble, nothing matters. These four weeks have felt like a blink. The strong emotional turmoil left everything else in a dark shadow. Slowly, I am trying to pull myself together and finish up the series.

The last post was about the effects of the Mother Archetype on the daughters falling into the second category. Jung had labeled it as Overdevelopment of Eros. Now, the turn is for the third category.

Life in Shadow

Read other posts of the series:
Mother Archetype I
Mother Archetype II – Son Lover of the Mother Goddess
Mother Archetype III – Don Juanism
Mother Archetype IV – Homosexuality and Impotence
Mother Archetype V – Exaggerated Maternal Instinct
Mother Archetype VI – Home-Wrecker With a Mission
Mother Archetype VIII – Mom Hater
Mother Archetype IX – Part Human, Part Supernatural

Jung called this category “Identity with Mother”. Or simply shadow daughter. This type of woman associates herself totally with the mother and lives kind of shadow life. It paralyzes her feminine initiatives. Everything which reminds her of motherhood, responsibility, personal relationships, and erotic demands arouses feelings of inferiority and compels her to run away—to her mother, who lives to perfection. She clings to her mother in selfless devotion. At the same time unconsciously striving, almost against her will, to tyrannize over her. Personal relationship is torture for her as it robs her off the mother.

In sum, she is that passive, helpless female image that doesn’t know a thing, that suffering and injured innocent. The type that only “the true hero will rescue”. Such women are kind of empty container that will hold whatever is put into. So they will put up with whatever life puts on their plate. Their partner will mold them into whatever pleases him.

Behind Each Successful Man?

On the good side, if skilled, this type, happy with living a shadow life will project her virtues on her partner pushing him upwards. That’s why sometimes totally incapable men are in unfit positions and praised for qualities that do not have.

Read other posts of the series:
Mother Archetype I
Mother Archetype II – Son Lover of the Mother Goddess
Mother Archetype III – Don Juanism
Mother Archetype IV – Homosexuality and Impotence
Mother Archetype V – Exaggerated Maternal Instinct
Mother Archetype VI – Home-Wrecker With a Mission
Mother Archetype VIII – Mom Hater
Mother Archetype IX – Part Human, Part Supernatural

Mother Archetype VI – Home-wrecker with a mission

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The previous post was on overdose of the maternal instinct and this post will be about the other end of the spectrum. The “home wrecker” with wiped out maternal instinct who comes with a pre-destined mission. Jung labelled this type as Overdevelopment of Eros.

Woman falling into this category tends to overdevelop intellectual aspect and block maternal instincts in repulsion to the first type women. Remember that entirely instinctive, blind, love-wrapped, yet awfully dangerous hypertrophic mother type from the previous post? Yes, that one. Naturally such daughter develops deep admiration to father and idolizes him. The unconscious urge of this type of woman is to outdo the mother. How we call it now? – Daddy’s princess? Or mommy’s little rival at home?

Femme Fatale – anything but maternal instinct

Such mindset sets the background for quite some disastrous decisions and lifestyle choices. For example, series of romantic relationships and dramas with married men. It just gives them an opportunity to wreck a marriage (to apparently, outdo that rival at home). Once mission is completed, she moves on to the next victim. Apparently, no relationship should lead to where maternal instincts are involved – femme fatale with the touch of acute intellect – as we know it. They also tend to put an abnormal emphasis on the personality of others.

Here obviously, we talk about the extreme representations of the complex. As Jung highlights, none of the types exist in the purest form. The features of the dominating type often blends in many subtle shades of other types. Which in fact, could become enablers of transformation at certain phases of life.

Not your usual home-wrecker

Yet, on the positive side, such woman unconsciously reacts to men who are either strangled in an oppressive relationship or stifled with mother attachments. So she is kind of “rescuer of suffocating man”, if gone too far, a home-wrecker. So not all home-wreckers are made equal. Some have pre-destined mission of being a correction factor. That’s why, no matter where she comes in, she arouses moral conflict and disturbance. She represents the other side of the river. Yet, many times, along the process she becomes disturbed too if she awakens to her hidden purpose.

Most interestingly, according to Jung, her way to detach a man tangled in mother attachments (and complete that secret mission) passes through her own painful discovery and reconciliation with her once wiped out maternal instincts.

Stay tuned for the third type.

Read other posts of the series:
Mother Archetype I
Mother Archetype II – Son Lover of the Mother Goddess
Mother Archetype III – Don Juanism
Mother Archetype IV – Homosexuality and Impotence
Mother Archetype V – Exaggerated Maternal Instinct
Mother Archetype VII – Daughter in Shadow
Mother Archetype VIII – Mom Hater
Mother Archetype IX – Part Human, Part Supernatural
Mother Archetype X – Motherland
Mother Archetype XI – Teenage Crisis – Libido
Mother Archetype XII – Incest: Problem or Solution?

Mother Archetype V – Exaggerated Maternal Instinct

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The turn now is for females. Mothers equally shape daughters’ nature (and destiny for that matter!) too. This doesn’t intend, however, to diminish by any means the undeniable father-daughter bond. That said, ladies, let’s get going and see who we recognize in the following four posts – Our mom? Cousins? Aunties? Mother-in-laws? The lady next door? Or maybe ourselves?

Jung divides effects of the Mother Complex in females into three major categories. It ranges from exaggeration to extinction of maternal instinct and one transitional type in between.

Hypertrophy of Motherhood

Today’s category is exaggeration or hypertrophy of the maternal instinct. This means intensification of all female instincts, above all, the maternal instinct to a point where the only goal is childbirth. To her the husband is just another object to look after like house, furniture etc. Even her own personality is secondary. She lives her life through others – the objects that she identifies herself with and takes care of. First she gives birth to the children, and from then on she clings to them. Because without them she has no existence whatsoever. This type of woman, though continually “living for others,” is, as a matter of fact, unable to make any real sacrifice.

Driven by ruthless will to power, she fanatically insists on her own maternal rights. Sadly, often succeed in annihilating not only her own personality but also the personal lives of her children. The less conscious such a mother is of her own personality, the greater and the more violent is her unconscious will to power. Ok, I’ll stop here, too scary? Who are we observing so far?

Glorified Motherhood

On the positive side, this is the image of the mother which has been glorified in all ages and all tongues. Without doubt, this is the mother-love associated with warm memories, motherland, homecoming and safe shelter from all dangers.

Read other posts of the series:
Mother Archetype I
Mother Archetype II – Son Lover of the Mother Goddess
Mother Archetype III – Don Juanism
Mother Archetype IV – Homosexuality and Impotence
Mother Archetype VI – Home-wrecker with a mission
Mother Archetype VII – Daughter in Shadow
Mother Archetype VIII – Mom Hater
Mother Archetype IX – Part Human, Part Supernatural
Mother Archetype X – Motherland
Mother Archetype XI – Teenage Crisis – Libido
Mother Archetype XII – Incest: Problem or Solution?

Mother Archetype IV: Homosexuality

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According to Jung, the typical effect on the other end of the curve on the sons is homosexuality and even impotence. See previous post for the effect of Don Juanism on the other end of the curve. In cases as homosexuality, the son’s entire heterosexuality is tied to the mother in an unconscious form. Receptivity, intuitiveness and other feminine traits coming from such bond translate to a kind of creative and insightful personality. Unsurprisingly, such men may have good taste and an aesthetic sense. Again, thanks to the presence of a feminine streak, such people may be very good at teaching too. On top of all, this sort of insight and tact would allow them spiritual receptivity, responsiveness to revelation and appreciation of history.

This description from Jung makes me reflect on my own life experience. Interestingly enough, the most insightful friends I’ve ever had, as a rule have been homosexuals. As they have perspectives of both genders, deep conversations with them is just pure delight. I may commit a serious crime here, but such description gives me an idea. It may also explain why we see more homosexuals in some professions, such as fashion design, than others. Obviously, it doesn’t mean that all fashion designers are homosexuals.   

Yet, Jung believes, son’s mother complex doesn’t appear in pure form because of the difference in gender. Along this complex, the archetype Anima plays an important part. This is the Archetype that gets projected on man’s sexual counterpart and guides the man through the separation process from the Mother.

Read other posts of the series:
Mother Archetype I
Mother Archetype II – Son Lover of the Mother Goddess
Mother Archetype III – Don Juanism
Mother Archetype V – Exaggerated Maternal Instinct
Mother Archetype VI – Home-wrecker with a mission
Mother Archetype VII – Daughter in Shadow
Mother Archetype VIII – Mom Hater
Mother Archetype IX – Part Human, Part Supernatural
Mother Archetype X – Motherland
Mother Archetype XI – Teenage Crisis – Libido
Mother Archetype XII – Incest: Problem or Solution?

Mother Archetype III – Don Juanism

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In this post we’ll talk more about the specific effects of dysfunctional mother bond that Jung observed in adult men.

He dubbed the first and most visible effect of failed separation Don Juanism. Or what we call Shiny Object Syndrome – jumping from one woman to the other in unconscious search of mother. Being torn between love life and emotional ties to mother, sense of guilt and betrayal, failure to build deep emotional bonds with partner, even madness-like behavior in relationships are some of characteristics of this type. Needless to say, such life abounds problems in sexual life, relationships, especially, in marriages.  

Infantile Romantic, Revolutionary Spirit

Interestingly, the whole career path of such men, as bright as it seems, would just be an infantile wish to make mother happy. Boy, is this type quite successful in professional territory. But such success often comes at a high cost. As successful professionals they concentrate on developing manly side and the persona they put outside. Continuously repressing emotional side, they leave that part underdeveloped. Shall I say, they carry kind of little miserable, deranged woman inside that squeaks through the mouth of that strong man when tempers are lost in a hot debate? Apparently, the longer this state continues, the wider the cleavage becomes between the image a man puts on the outside and emotional dilemmas that boggle him inside.

Mother Complex, on the other hand, manifests as bold and resolute manliness; ambitious striving after the highest goals; opposition to all stupidity, narrow-mindedness, willingness to make sacrifices for what is regarded as right – kind of infantile romanticism. They are revolutionary spirits which strive to put a new face on the old, tired world.

Sincerely, this description scares me when I think of heroes of all times. While we saw them as heroes, they were battling (albeit, outside) the devouring bonds of infantile attachments inside. Anyway, there is a good news for those struggling with this problem. It is natural and in fact, destined to happen and be resolved. The younger years it happens, the healthier. Just like our body learns to drag along with limp foot or broken arm, our psyche learns to drag on with misplaced attachment too. But it comes at the cost of personal life. It is about cutting off that energy from that infantile attachment to direct upwards. Tip: here a big role is played by the partner, on whom another archetype – Anima gets projected! Next post about men who at the other end of the curve.

Read previous posts of the series:
Mother Archetype I
Mother Archetype II – Son Lover of the Mother Goddess
Mother Archetype IV – Homosexuality and Impotence
Mother Archetype V – Exaggerated Maternal Instinct
Mother Archetype VI – Home-wrecker with a mission
Mother Archetype VII – Daughter in Shadow
Mother Archetype VIII – Mom Hater
Mother Archetype IX – Part Human, Part Supernatural
Mother Archetype X – Motherland
Mother Archetype XI – Teenage Crisis – Libido
Mother Archetype XII – Incest: Problem or Solution?