The Perverse Feminine: An Archetypal Reclamation of Forbidden Power
Book Details
- Publisher : Routledge
- Published : October 2025
- Cover : Paperback
- Pages : 304
- Category :
Forthcoming - Category 2 :
Jung and Analytical Psychology - Catalogue No : 98205
- ISBN 13 : 9781032596945
- ISBN 10 : 1032596945
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The Perverse Feminine resurrects a long-buried psychic figure: the Perverse Feminine Archetype. Grounded in intuitive inquiry, this work builds on Jungian theory, feminist psychology, and myth to illuminate the archetypal constructs of forbidden power, deviant desire, and inherited shame shaping the collective psyche of cisgender women.
Across careers, relationships, and inner lives, women in this study enliven the perverse through acts of subversion, refusal, creative expression, and sexual exploration. Through their stories, a meditation on the unconscious unfolds, unveiling the archetypal feminine and perversity as portals to healing and integration.
Distilled from the data, a four-stage framework maps research participants’ psychological journeys across the evolving inner landscapes—where pain, power, and transformation entwine. Through evocative narratives that generate tools for archetypal engagement, this study offers individuals, theorists, and clinicians a guide to identity, self-discovery, and psychic wholeness within a rapidly changing cultural landscape.
Reviews and Endorsements
We have all been shaped by the Perverse Feminine Archetype. Aradia’s stunning contribution examines this distortion through a synthesis of history, psychology, feminist theory, case studies, and heartfelt qualitative inquiry to uncover the labyrinth Western modernity built to conceal the monstrosities deposited by centuries of gender prejudice. Critically engaging Jungian depth psychology, this work illuminates the monster we were taught to reject within ourselves, revealing how, through courageous research with bold women, we can reclaim and integrate the essence of this once-demonized feminine force with joy and power into our wholeness of being.
Susan Rowland, PhD, professor of depth psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute, and author of Jungian Literary Criticism: The Essential Guide
At a time when patriarchal power has intensified in its quest to demean and diminish women’s political, social, and personal agency, The Perverse Feminine compellingly reminds us that old stories can be told anew and that power can be returned to the disenfranchised. This gutsy book shines a light on feminist spirituality, the mythological forces that haunt and condemn women, and the urgent need for radical inquiry into their voices. Aradia’s analysis is a beacon of interdisciplinary practice and a testament to what is possible when we insist on looking backwards, forwards, and, most importantly, within.
Breanne Fahs, PhD, clinical psychologist, professor of women and gender studies, Arizona State University, and author of Burn It Down! Feminist Manifestos for the Revolution
Through Aradia’s insightful lens, we witness how women are forced to carry the archetypal projections of a dominant patriarchy—or face the consequences. Drawing on depth psychology, mythology, and feminist discourse, this well-researched and vital work illuminates how these projections shape women’s lived experience and psychic terrain, reinforcing systems of oppression. A compelling contribution to the ongoing struggle for women's emancipation from false and imprisoning narratives.
Stephen Julich, PhD, core faculty, Department of East-West Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies
Table of Contents
Part I - Foundations
1. Unveiling the Perverse Feminine
2. Archetypes, Feminism, and the Shadow Self
3. Spirals of Inquiry: An Intuitive Methodolgy
4. The Journey of Perverse Feminine Integration
Part II - The Stages of Healing
Stage 1: Societal Indoctrination: The Inheritance of Obedience
5. Perverting the Feminine
6. Collective Unconscious and Patriarchy
7. With Hunts and Hysteria
8. Demonizing Lilith: A Historial Analysis
Stage 2: Shapeshifting: Fractured Identities
9. Shadow Formation
10. Internalized Sexism and the Personal Unconscious
11. Contemporary Madness: The Pathologization of Feminine Power
12. Lilith as the Queen of the Shadow
Stage 3: Awareness: Awakening the Perverse
13. Shadow Confrontation
14. Catalysts and Challenges
15. Active Imagination: Engaging the Perverse
Stage 4: Redefining the Feminine: Embodied Authenticity
16. Shadow Integration: Uniting with Lost Parts
17. Manifestations of the PFA
18. Integrating the Archetypal Shadow
Part III - Reflection and Future Implications
19. Beyond the Framework: Future Directions for the PFA
20. Reflections on the Perverse: A Researcher's Journey References
About the Author(s)
Kalen Aradia, PhD, is a feminist researcher and writer excavating archetypal forces buried in the collective shadow. Her work examines exiled emotions, forbidden desires, and instinctual truths to reveal the mythic structures that perpetuate psychic fragmentation.
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