The Perils of Masculinity

In this book, Andreas G. Philaretou uses autobiographical reflection to investigate the negative impact of traditional masculine gender socialization on men's lives. In particular, Philaretou examines personal recollective accounts from early childhood socialization, and experiences with a number of traumatic episodes that unfolded during his intimate heterosexual and familial relationships. Through an analysis that uses a feminist postmodern ideology of gender deconstruction and reconstruction, Philaretou sheds new light on the understudied area of male hurt, which is often experienced within the context of interpersonal relationships in dating, marital, and familial settings, and tends to be manifested in the form of male sexual anxiety, sexual addiction, and relational abuse.