Male Alienation at the Crossroads of Identity, Culture and Cyberspace

Book excerpt: "I’m broken." When a boy or man says this, he is expressing deep alienation from himself and the world. Something’s wrong, and he usually cannot begin to explain why. What brings boys and men into psychotherapy or analysis? Many of them struggle with access to their inner worlds. Experiences of alienation can lead to destructive and self-destructive behaviors, including addiction and violence. This book explores the reasons for this and considers why boys and men seek professional help. How do psychotherapists and analysts engage them when they often protest that they want to be left alone? Looking at the male psyche from boyhood through adolescence and into adulthood, Male Alienation at the Crossroads of Identity, Culture and Cyberspace provides examples from clinical practice, current events, art, and literature that show what happens when alienation is severe and leads boys and men to discharge their emotional problems in the outside world. The book examines compulsive internet use, flawed concepts of masculinity, difficulties with mutually intimate relationships, trouble showing emotions, and identity issues, as well as the role of fathers, with a focus on the types of fathers that many boys and men describe as being difficult. Tyminski provides various practical ideas about working with boys and men to encourage them to be open to their inner worlds, and emphasizes a contrast between having meaningful contacts or having a merely transactional approach to relating. Male Alienation at the Crossroads of Identity, Culture and Cyberspace will be essential reading for Jungian analysts, psychotherapists, and psychoanalysts as well as a wide range of other professionals who work with men and boys.