Individuation Process: The 7 Stages towards the Self

Introduction: "I Must Become Myself"

Many people mistake Individuality for 'being different from others'. Wearing unique clothes or having unique tastes is considered having personality. But Individuation as defined by Carl Jung is a totally different concept. It is the process of integrating fragmented inner parts to become 'an indivisible whole (In-dividual)'. This is the soul's task that must be performed in the afternoon of life (after midlife).

Core Concept: Map of Individuation

Individuation is not linear growth, but a spiral journey (Circumambulation) returning towards the center (Self).

Stage 1: Disidentification from Persona

We live mistaking our social mask (Persona) for 'me'. "I am a doctor," "I am a good mother." The first step of individuation is realizing this mask is not my skin. Not throwing away the mask, but realizing "This is just a role I play" and being able to wear or remove it freely.

Stage 2: Encounter with the Shadow

The most painful stage. We must face the 'dark me' we denied and repressed. Jealousy, greed, violence, pettiness. Jung said, "The shadow is 90% pure gold." Inside the shadow, the vitality and creativity we discarded are trapped. When we embrace the shadow saying "You were me," we recover tremendous energy.

Stage 3: Integration with Anima/Animus

• Anima: Femininity within men (Emotion, Intuition, Relationship)
• Animus: Masculinity within women (Reason, Judgment, Action) Men must meet the woman inside, and women must meet the man inside. It is the stage of stopping the Projection of seeking the ideal partner outside and achieving internal marriage (Hieros Gamos) with the inner opposite sex.

Stage 4: Realization of the Self

If Ego is the center of consciousness, Self is the center of the total psyche including consciousness and unconsciousness. When the Ego steps down from the throne and serves the Self, we are finally liberated from the narrow prison of 'me' and connect with cosmic wholeness.

Deep Dive: Midlife Crisis and Individuation

Why midlife? The first half of life (Morning) is the time to strengthen Ego and adapt to society. Making money, supporting family, gaining status. But in the second half (Afternoon), the Ego's way hits a limit. Emptiness, depression, and baseless anxiety arrive. This is not a disease but a call from the soul saying "Now find the real you."

Refusing Individuation?

Jung defined Neurosis as "the substitute for legitimate suffering." If we refuse individuation, we remain eternally immature boys/girls or get eaten by social roles ("Old Fart").

Practical Application: Practicing Individuation in Daily Life

1. Dream Journal: Dreams are letters from the unconscious. Record dreams every morning and listen to what the symbols are trying to tell you.
2. Active Imagination: In a meditative state, summon inner figures (Shadow, Anima) and converse. "Why are you angry?", "What do you want?"
3. Creative Activity: Drawing, dancing, Mandalas. Express the unconscious that cannot be put into words through images.

Conclusion: You Are Not Yet You

Nietzsche said, "Become who you are." We are not finished nouns, but becoming verbs. Individuation is a journey without a destination. Until the moment we die, we must continue to integrate, expand, and deepen. It is painful, but at the end waits Inner Peace and Freedom that cannot be exchanged for anything.

References:

• C.G. Jung, Two Essays on Analytical Psychology
• Murray Stein, Jung's Map of the Soul
• Marie-Louise von Franz, Man and His Symbols