Preface

In the last 25 years the advent of feminism and the reworking of the psychoanalytic psychology of women have overshadowed a parallel development in the reassessment of the psychology of men. This Special Issue of The Psychoanalytic Review is an attempt to redress the imbalance by presenting an update of current research and theory on male development. The interdisciplinary perspective of the Editors reflects the tradition of this publication as a journal of “psychoanalytic psychology devoted to the understanding of behavior and culture.” It is within this framework that psychoanalysis is viewed as an aspect of the social-historical process in continuing interaction with the cultural system of values and norms.

The initiative within psychoanalysis to examine its theory of male development has been complemented and, in turn, activated by developmental psychology, anthropological field work, and sociological studies. The following papers review the major research contributions in relation to the classical theory of male development. In some instances this has led to revision; in others, to expansion. The work of the classical analysts regarding the instinctual development of childhood has been enriched by an increasing emphasis on the structuring influence of object relations as our knowledge of the developing individual extends backward to infancy and forward to adolescence, maturity, and old age.

In commenting on this change, Phyllis Tyson writes “that sexuality and aggression are among a number of influential variables and interacting developmental lines” influencing any outcome. She goes on to point out the present need for organizational concepts to integrate the multiple variables into a contemporary view of male development. Gender identity is an example of an organizational concept that has stimulated fruitful research on masculinity and femininity in the last 15 years. Current theorizing will hopefully generate additional concepts of equal heuristic value.