The Warrior and the Man of Wisdom: Jeff and Dr. Keith on the nature of masculinity

What this episode covers

Gender norms have never been fixed. The emerging edge of this conversation is gender expression. When famous people transition (Chaz Bono, Caitlyn Jenner, the Wachowski siblings) we're fascinated. Some people are just scared. States have passed laws barring people from using the restroom that doesn't match the gender on their birth certificates, (if there was ever a solution in search of a problem…). Some say the fight for transgender equality is the last civil rights movement. Under the cultural milieu of the bromance (love between two straight men) and men-in-heels is the polarity of masculine and feminine, the most basic, primal typology there is. These qualities are distinct from gender, and yet rooted in them. Dr. Keith has been working with men for decades as a psychotherapist. When he talks about masculinity, he focuses on the Warrior archetype, and beyond that, what he calls the "Man of Wisdom". The Warrior is that part of us that is willing to put our own welfare second to our principles or our passions, he says. (It originates in a man's primal desire to defend his family). If all goes well, the warrior eventually paves the way for the Man of Wisdom to emerge. These archetypes are embodied at every stage of development. In the podcast, Dr. Keith and Jeff expound on: • The nature of masculinity, and how evolution is creating bigger categories for us to inhabit • The move from adolescent to Warrior, and from Warrior to Man of Wisdom • Inhabiting the Warrior in body, mind and spirit; expressed in self, culture and nature • The Warrior's relationship to violence • How men are programmed, genetically, to explore these archetypes, and the feminine version of the archetype • The pitfalls of doubt and endogenous shame that occur along the way We hope you enjoy this episode of The Shrink & The Pundit. Send your questions and comments for the show to [email protected]. Record a voice memo on your smartphone or use the Speakpipe button on dailyevolver.com.

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