Is there a connection between male-to-female transsexualism and Carl Jung's concept of the anima?

Question

Is there a connection between male-to-female transsexualism and Carl Jung's concept of the anima?

Answer 1

I think this is an ambitious and complex question that might be beyond my intellect to answer, but I'll make an attempt as I find it interesting.

While it is tempting to think of M-F transsexualism as an expression of Jungian anima development, in my opinion it is not. Why? In the case of transsexuals, true gender dysphoria is what I think prompts those individuals to make the profound decision to actually change their s*x. Often, for as long as they remember, MFTS seem to have always been unhappy with their gender, like a woman trapped in a man's body.

Now in the case of anima (I'm not a Jung expert so forgive me if anything I say is moff the mark), it's my understanding that we are talking about unconscious feminine psychological qualities within most males--and not the conscious dysphoric feelings of a female born biologically male, a state that is far more rare. As opposed to that "woman-trapped-in-male-body" concept, anima to me is more like a conceptual shadow composite of the women in a male's life. Development and resolution of anima is something that has the potential to occur for all men.

In short, having inner feminine psychological qualities does not mean all men want to be women.