The Heroine’s Journey by Murdock 1990

The heroine's journey came about in 1990 when Maureen Murdock, a Jungian psychotherapist and a student of Joseph Campbell, published a self-help book called The Heroine's Journey: Woman's Quest for Wholeness in response to Campbell's Hero's Journey model.
Separation From the Feminine
The mother stands for the victim in ourselves, the unfree woman, the martyr. Our personalities seem dangerously to blur and overlap with our mothers; and, in a desperate attempt to know where mother ends and daughter begins, we perform radical surgery
Identification With The Masculine
The heroine finds her mentor, someone she admires and who will help her by giving support, transmitting values, attitudes, knowledge and encouraging her in difficult times. It can be any man; or a woman with well-defined masculine aspects.
The Road of Trials
She challenges the myths of female inferiority, dependency, frailty and romantic love.
The Illusory Boon of Success
Finding the apogee of success, at this stage the heroine finally achieves everything she wanted (which could be fame, academic or financial success, clothes, material possessions, popularity or even a romantic partner, her idealized “enchanted prince”). Despite having everything she ever wanted, she feels a deep emptiness.
The Strong Women Can Say No
A strong woman is a woman who is straining. A strong woman is a woman standing on tiptoe and lifting a barbell while trying to sing Boris Godunov. A strong woman is a woman at work cleaning out the cesspool of the ages, and while she shovels, she talks about how much she doesn’t mind crying, it opens the ducts of the eyes and she goes on shoveling with tears in her nose
The Initiation And Descent To The Goddess
The heroine goes through a period of introspection, also known as depression, in which she begins to look for the lost parts of herself.
Urgent Yearning To Reconnect With The Feminine
Seeking to reconnect with female power and without instructions to reach it in a patriarchal society, the heroine lets her intuition guide her to artistic, meditative, artisanal and/or matriarchal religious practices.
Healing The Mother/Daughther Split
The heroine heals her earlier wounds, dissipates her rancor, forgives (or seeks forgiveness) and then regains the feminine bonds she had before starting the first leg of the journey. Despite the name of this stage, the bond is not necessarily with the mother, it can also be with the father, grandmother (ô), aunt(o), friend or guardian. The tie represents the community she belongs to.
Finding The Inner Man With Heart
She sees female sexism and understands that men have also been oppressed in patriarchal society.
Beyond Duality
The heroine learns to integrate and balance all aspects of herself, finally becoming a full woman, a human being in her entirety.
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Separation From the Feminine
The mother stands for the victim in ourselves, the unfree woman, the martyr. Our personalities seem dangerously to blur and overlap with our mothers; and, in a desperate attempt to know where mother ends and daughter begins, we perform radical surgery
Identification With The Masculine
The heroine finds her mentor, someone she admires and who will help her by giving support, transmitting values, attitudes, knowledge and encouraging her in difficult times. It can be any man; or a woman with well-defined masculine aspects.
The Road of Trials
She challenges the myths of female inferiority, dependency, frailty and romantic love.
The Illusory Boon of Success
Finding the apogee of success, at this stage the heroine finally achieves everything she wanted (which could be fame, academic or financial success, clothes, material possessions, popularity or even a romantic partner, her idealized “enchanted prince”). Despite having everything she ever wanted, she feels a deep emptiness.
The Strong Women Can Say No
A strong woman is a woman who is straining. A strong woman is a woman standing on tiptoe and lifting a barbell while trying to sing Boris Godunov. A strong woman is a woman at work cleaning out the cesspool of the ages, and while she shovels, she talks about how much she doesn’t mind crying, it opens the ducts of the eyes and she goes on shoveling with tears in her nose
The Initiation And Descent To The Goddess
The heroine goes through a period of introspection, also known as depression, in which she begins to look for the lost parts of herself.
Urgent Yearning To Reconnect With The Feminine
Seeking to reconnect with female power and without instructions to reach it in a patriarchal society, the heroine lets her intuition guide her to artistic, meditative, artisanal and/or matriarchal religious practices.
Healing The Mother/Daughther Split
The heroine heals her earlier wounds, dissipates her rancor, forgives (or seeks forgiveness) and then regains the feminine bonds she had before starting the first leg of the journey. Despite the name of this stage, the bond is not necessarily with the mother, it can also be with the father, grandmother (ô), aunt(o), friend or guardian. The tie represents the community she belongs to.
Finding The Inner Man With Heart
She sees female sexism and understands that men have also been oppressed in patriarchal society.
Beyond Duality
The heroine learns to integrate and balance all aspects of herself, finally becoming a full woman, a human being in her entirety.
Previous slide
Next slide
Separation From the Feminine
The mother stands for the victim in ourselves, the unfree woman, the martyr. Our personalities seem dangerously to blur and overlap with our mothers; and, in a desperate attempt to know where mother ends and daughter begins, we perform radical surgery
Identification With The Masculine
The heroine finds her mentor, someone she admires and who will help her by giving support, transmitting values, attitudes, knowledge and encouraging her in difficult times. It can be any man; or a woman with well-defined masculine aspects.
The Road of Trials
She challenges the myths of female inferiority, dependency, frailty and romantic love.
The Illusory Boon of Success
Finding the apogee of success, at this stage the heroine finally achieves everything she wanted (which could be fame, academic or financial success, clothes, material possessions, popularity or even a romantic partner, her idealized “enchanted prince”). Despite having everything she ever wanted, she feels a deep emptiness.
The Strong Women Can Say No
A strong woman is a woman who is straining. A strong woman is a woman standing on tiptoe and lifting a barbell while trying to sing Boris Godunov. A strong woman is a woman at work cleaning out the cesspool of the ages, and while she shovels, she talks about how much she doesn’t mind crying, it opens the ducts of the eyes and she goes on shoveling with tears in her nose
The Initiation And Descent To The Goddess
The heroine goes through a period of introspection, also known as depression, in which she begins to look for the lost parts of herself.
Urgent Yearning To Reconnect With The Feminine
Seeking to reconnect with female power and without instructions to reach it in a patriarchal society, the heroine lets her intuition guide her to artistic, meditative, artisanal and/or matriarchal religious practices.
Healing The Mother/Daughther Split
The heroine heals her earlier wounds, dissipates her rancor, forgives (or seeks forgiveness) and then regains the feminine bonds she had before starting the first leg of the journey. Despite the name of this stage, the bond is not necessarily with the mother, it can also be with the father, grandmother (ô), aunt(o), friend or guardian. The tie represents the community she belongs to.
Finding The Inner Man With Heart
She sees female sexism and understands that men have also been oppressed in patriarchal society.
Beyond Duality
The heroine learns to integrate and balance all aspects of herself, finally becoming a full woman, a human being in her entirety.
Previous slide
Next slide