Feminine and Masculine Energy: The Quiz That Explores Your Inner Balance

In the article that follows, I explore the balance between our receptive qualities and our assertive qualities, as they play out day to day — including in our exchanges with a partner, where one listens while the other decides, or the reverse depending on the day. If you want to see concretely how this dynamic plays out in your relationship, ScanMyLove analyses your conversations from a simple export and can reveal who initiates, who listens, and how these roles circulate between you two. On this exact theme, I designed a feminine and masculine energy test that explores these qualities in depth, with a personalised report. I also wrote a book that sheds light on why we sometimes stay locked into a single way of functioning, Our Archaic Wounds, if you'd like to understand more deeply the patterns that limit your freedom of expression.

A Jungian and Taoist lens, not a checkbox

The phrase "feminine and masculine energy" comes from two distinct traditions in psychology and thought. Carl Jung theorized the anima (the feminine part present in every individual's unconscious) and the animus (the masculine part), which he considered universal archetypes to integrate in order to reach what he called individuation — a complete psychic balance. Taoist Chinese thought, for its part, describes yin (receptive, intuitive, flexible) and yang (active, structuring, firm) as two complementary forces present in everything, never opposed in a hierarchical way.

These two frameworks share one essential point: neither one links these polarities to a person's biological sex or gender identity. A man can have a highly developed receptive side. A woman can have a dominant assertive side. A non-binary person can move freely between the two, or notice that one clearly dominates. Nothing in this lens prescribes what a man or a woman "should" be. That is precisely what the quiz explores: where do you, personally, stand on these two axes today — not where you "should" stand according to your gender.

What the quiz actually measures: four dimensions

The quiz measures four distinct dimensions, each assessed independently, with none presented as preferable to the other.

Receptivity and intuition cover your ability to listen without immediately trying to fix things, to sense the mood of a group before it's said out loud, to trust a hunch even when you can't back it up with arguments. These are qualities traditionally associated with the feminine, present in everyone in varying proportions. Assertiveness and structure cover your ability to make a decision rather than leave a situation hanging, to set clear boundaries, to act as a first reflex when facing a problem rather than waiting for it to resolve itself. These are qualities traditionally associated with the masculine, just as present in everyone, in proportions that are uniquely yours. Inner balance doesn't measure either polarity: it measures your flexibility in moving from one to the other depending on what the context demands. A person can be highly receptive in their emotional life and highly structured at work, without one contradicting the other. It's this ability to shift, to mobilise the right mode at the right moment, that this dimension assesses — without judging which of the two polarities dominates in you otherwise. Freedom of expression is probably the most revealing dimension: it doesn't measure what you actually feel, but what you allow yourself to show. Do you hold back a sensitive reaction for fear of others' judgment? Do you tone down your gentleness so as not to appear weak? Conversely, do you deny yourself legitimate firmness for fear of being seen as too authoritative? This dimension sheds light on the gap, often invisible to ourselves, between what we feel and what we dare to express in the face of a perceived social or gender norm.

Why this quiz measures neither your gender nor your orientation

This point deserves to be stated clearly, since confusion is common as soon as "feminine" and "masculine" come up in psychology: this quiz determines nothing about your gender identity, measures no sexual orientation, and produces no value judgment between the two polarities. A high score in receptivity is neither better nor worse than a high score in assertiveness. Nor is it a "femininity" or "masculinity" test in the social sense of the word — these words designate psychological qualities explored by several clinical traditions here, not identity categories. The final report contains no recommendation along the lines of "become more feminine" or "assert yourself more to be a real man": the suggestions offered aim only to broaden your freedom of expression and your flexibility, in whatever direction suits you, whatever that may be.

Concrete examples to situate your own balance

Even before taking the quiz, you can observe certain signs in yourself. On the receptivity side: do you notice a loved one is upset before they say so? Do you prefer letting a conversation go wherever it wants rather than framing it in advance? On the assertiveness side: can you say no to a request that goes beyond what you're willing to give? Once a decision is made, do you move to execution without endlessly revisiting it? On the balance side: can you be firm at work and fully emotionally available with loved ones on the same day, without one preventing the other? And on the freedom of expression side: do you dare cry in front of others when the emotion is there, or ask for help openly without fearing you'll look weak?

These questions have no universally right answer. They're meant to help you spot your own configuration, not to place you on a scale of normality.

What the report contains

The personalised report details your score on each of the four dimensions, with descriptions that explicitly distinguish a low, moderate, high, or very high score — each level presented with its own blind spots, including the highest scores, never as a goal to reach. It also includes a section on your current readiness to change your functioning, since the same results call for different suggestions depending on whether you're still becoming aware or already ready to act. A resources section revisits anima, animus, and yin-yang as exploratory lenses, never as a clinical framework or an identity category, with a disclaimer reminding you that the quiz replaces neither a diagnosis nor professional support in case of significant distress.

Understanding the balance between these two polarities, and above all the freedom you allow yourself to express both, is a starting point for seeing your relationships differently — with a partner, at work, or simply with yourself.

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Article written by Gildas Garrec, CBT practitioner.