Teber 1 Question: Will it be claimed that in the movie Avatar directed by James Cameron, the hero reaches individuation after recognizing, confronting and assimilating his Shadow with the help of Anima? THE REFLECTION OF THE COLLECTIVE UNCONSCIOUS TO HOLLYWOOD: JAKE SULLY’S INDIVIDUATION IN AVATAR “Individuation can be seen as a natural process occurring throughout life.” states Howard W. Tyas in order to remark its role in our lives (1). This process can continue during one’s lifetime from birth to death. It doesn’t only exist in everyday life of an everyday human but also can be seen via heroes who take place in mythological stories, movies or novels. In Jungian psychology, the theory of the collective unconscious claims that in order to reach self-realization one must bring collective unconscious into consciousness by balancing the different aspects of self (Eckert 4). These aspects of self are also known as the ego, the shadow and the anima or animus coined by Carl Jung. The terms shadow and anima are seen as common archetypes in many fairy tales, songs, myths or films as in the movie Avatar by James Cameron. While the process of individuation’s existence and the ascent of heroic features can be observed throughout the movie in Jake Sully’s point of view, it can also be assumed that at the end of the movie in an attempt to reach individuation after recognizing, confronting and assimilating his Shadow, the hero achieves to balance it with the help of his Anima. Before analyzing the individuation, the shadow and the anima archetypes must be explained in order to make a connection and show the relevance between individuation process by pointing out these archetype’s origins. Carl Jung argues that human being has a common area that comprises primate memories, universal archetypes or shared experiences