Excerpt from Chapter 5:
Current literature in the area of the theology, sociology, and psychology of men's issues reveals that many men face a painful confusion of self-identity and self in relationship engendered in certain respects by destructive forces at work in the father-son relationship. The American poet and author Robert Bly, along with theologians Sam Keen and James Nelson, psychologist Samuel Osherson, and journalist Bill Moyers are a few of the authors who have contributed in useful ways to this discussion. As a review of some of the current literature addressing this problem will demonstrate, the theological and psychological dimensions of the problem are many faceted. Exposure to the literature in the field, which touches on this issue of “father-wound”, may help us as men grasp cognitively the dynamics of abuse of power and shaming mechanisms in such relationships. However, contemporary drama and film have something unique to offer, for these vehicles contain the potential to shows us a fuller range of feelings in "father-wound" material than cognitive approaches could possibly yield.
The theological dimensions of the problem include an American Christian aspect that often reinforces a type of male identity which promotes an unexamined relationship to power and privilege through, among other things, its patriarchal images of God. Consequently, many men must face their issues in identity and relationship without a fuller spectrum of God images because of these powerful cultural scripts.