Separation Anxiety and the Dread of Abandonment in Adult Males

by Gwendolyn Stevens, Sheldon Gardner

Overview

This work presents a new theory of personality development for males, one that emphasizes gender differences in biological maturation and in socialization practices that pressure boys to become emotionally independent too soon. Stevens and Gardner believe that in extreme cases males grow up harboring a primitive, unconscious dread of being abandoned that prevents them from handling separation experiences successfully. As women become more assertive in relationships, there are more female-terminated relationships, especially divorces. As psychologists, Stevens and Gardner noticed that rejected husbands were often more at risk than their estranged wives because most men are victims of the traditional socialization techniques that deny them easy access to emotional expression and support groups. Drawing from a range of disciplines, including sociology, primatology, anthropology, and psychology, the authors draw portraits of common male personality types, many of which are ill-equipped for self-fulfilling independent adult life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780275946098
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/25/1994
Series:	African Studies; 167
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.62(d)
Lexile:	1510L (what's this?)

About the Author

GWENDOLYN STEVENS is a Professor of Psychology and Director of Academic Resources at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, New London, Connecticut.

SHELDON GARDNER is a clinical psychologist in the Mystic, Connecticut area. Together, they have written four books on psychology: The Care and Cultivation of Parents, Women of Psychology (2 vols.), and Red Vienna and the Golden Age of Psychology (Praeger, 1992).

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Babes and Pashas
Homonomy and Autonomy
The Biological Roots of Gender Differences
Sociocultural Influences and Stereotypes
Socialization and Parenting
Self-Identity, Attachment, and Separation Anxiety
The Umbilicus Complex: The Dread of Abandonment as a Life-Long Dynamic
Marriage and Divorce
The Violent Pasha
Making Boys into Men: Preventing and Treating the Umbilicus Complex
References

Editorial Reviews

A well documented treatment of gender differences in separation/attachment phenomena as related to men's common inability to cope well when "abandonment" is imminent. The long overdue but politically incorrect (and inexcusably sympathetic) emphasis is on American males as victims of their biology, their maladaptive social expectations, and their success in dominating and intimidating women. Scholarly but accessible (and essential) to a wide audience. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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