Psychology of Masculinity

Course Description

Men grapple with identity, work, fatherhood, and the heroic male ideal. Men and boys lead statistics for violent crimes, suicide, early mortality, school failure, learning disabilities, and a host of psychiatric maladies. This course considers the complexities of male psychology, beginning with the neurobiology of, and psychoanalytic perspectives on, male development through the life cycle. We move on to examine the historical origin of the traditional male role model in Western civilization and contrast it with models in other parts of the world, incorporating more recent feminist critiques. We pay special attention to boyhood in the United States, including issues of sexuality, race, and violence. We conclude by considering various treatment models used in psychotherapy to address the particular psychological problems of men. This course counts toward the Gender Studies minor.