Man-child

Man-child

In their book King, Warrior, Magician, Lover, Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette who are both adherents to the Jungian view of psychoanalysis, propose that our problems with masculinity stem from men being stuck in a state of “boy” masculinity. They argue that Patriarchy is the expression of this immature masculine psychology which is damaging to all members of society including men themselves. Their work brings together Jungian psychoanalytic theory and global mythologies to explore how we all as individuals can reassess the masculine part of ourselves in an effort to progress to a more mature masculinity and in turn a more mature and evolved society.

The book is an excellent reference and starting point for me to begin exploring various mythologies of masculinity but is also proving useful in gaining an increased understanding of how at times the immature aspects of my own masculinity have, and are expressed. It is also revealing how psychologically and culturally we might tend toward a binary view of gender while simultaneously arguing for the notion that psychologically we are each a blend of the masculine and feminine.

Notes on the image making process…

This image was created as a stand-alone piece, but also to be incorporated in another composite image. Much time and effort was put into the pose and expression and I altered the orientation of the pose to allow choice when selecting for the other image with which I would combine it. I changed the the scale of the head (larger) and the legs (smaller) to reflect the fact that compared to an adult, a child’s head is proportionately larger due to it growing more slowly than the rest of the body.