Masculinity and Its Discontents

Offering a uniquely psychoanalytic developmental perspective on male gender identity and the sense of maleness, this book provides an in-depth analysis of the development of masculinity in childhood and its continued evolution throughout a man's life.

Michael J. Diamond is a Training and Supervising Analyst, Los Angeles Institute and Society for Psychoanalytic Studies. He has authored over ninety articles and chapters as well as three books, including My Father Before Me: How Fathers and Sons Influence Each Other Throughout Their Lives and The Second Century of Psychoanalysis: Evolving Perspectives on Therapeutic Action (with C. Christian). He is in private practice in Los Angeles.

1. The Roots of Male Gender Identity: An Introductory Overview 2. An Integrative Perspective on "Masculine" Gender and Bigenderality 3. The Shaping of Masculinity in Early Childhood 4. The Impact of Actual and Symbolic Fathering on Masculinity 5. The Impact Of Mother and Mother-With-Father Together 6. Social, Cultural, and Biological Influences on the Concept of Masculinity and Gender: Constructing the Male Ego Ideal 7. Maturing Masculinity, Receptivity, and Gender Fluidity: Its Trajectory through Midlife Transitions and Later Life Changes 8. Gender and Masculinity in Analytic Practice, and Concluding Thoughts