This is a superb book, which has to be on the shelf of anyone studying men or wanting to know about male psychology. Any reader of Achilles Reel would find it a treasure house of good material. It is divided into four sections: theory, research, applications and the varieties of masculinity.
The first section consists of four chapters: Joe Pleck on the gender role strain paradigm (this replaces the old idea of the sex role); William Pollack on the psychodynamic psychology of men (rewriting the Oedipus myth, explaining why anger seems to be so important for men, and suggesting that fathering is one of the greatest opportunities for personal transformation); Stephen Bergman on men's psychological development from a relational point of view (showing that there is a primary desire for connection with others in men, but there is also a dread of close relations); and Steven Krugman on the whole question of shame and its importance for men (so many of the parental injunctions to young men are based on shaming them). I can't tell you how fresh and keen these chapters are. I particularly liked Pollack's statement:
'To accomplish this (the ability to love and be loved) a man must be willing to plumb the depths of his own psyche and to revisit the struggles, losses and traumas that lie at the root of his developmental crisis of self-formation and masculine identity. This cannot be accomplished through the nostalgic drumbeat of primitive masculinity.' (p56)
This seems to me very well said.
The second section has: Thompson & Pleck on masculine ideologies; O'Neil, Good & Holmes on men's gender role conflicts; and Eisler on masculine gender role stress and health risks. This section is a bit on the boring side, because much of it consists of lists of research which is useful for anyone who wants to know what has been established empirically. The research does bear out the general case which Pleck is making in the early part of the book.
The third section has: Ronald Levant on the reconstruction of masculinity (a very sensitive discussion which does not oversimplify the issues); Brooks & Gilbert on men in families (with quite a lot to say about fathering); and Brooks & Silverstein on the dark side of masculinity (violence, sexual excess, alcoholism and drug abuse, high-risk activities, relationship problems and the theoretical explanations of such actions). These are essays which genuinely shed new light.
Finally the fourth section has two chapters: one by Lazur & Majors on men of colour and one by Harrison on sexual orientation. The two editors draw some of the threads together summing up:
'In this more courageous world of the new masculinities, we can expect men to become more openly connected and emotionally expressive.. with that change, we hope that much of the scourge of homophobia will wither away. We can look forward to the time when men may be close to one another as well as to women, when male-male friendships will not be a dangerous break with rigid gender expectations but rather an experience that supports and enhances men's self-esteem.' (p387)
This is only one of the many points made, but it seems a good one. In spite of its price, this is a book which must be taken on board by anyone interested in the kinds of issues raised in Achilles Heel.
John Rowan
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