"This book offers a masterful overview of the various issues affecting male psychology and men's mental health. The detailed, thoughtful and meticulously-researched chapters are written in lively and accessible language, making this book valuable and relevant to clinicians and researchers, as well as others working with men and boys including teachers, sports coaches, religious ministers and the like. This book includes much innovative thinking about men's mental health, outlining underlying causes while offering positive prosocial solutions. The insightful conclusions stretch and enrich the current debates about men and boys' mental health, avoiding tired cliches about 'toxic masculinity' or 'patriarchy', instead taking a compassionate
strengths-based approach to men's mental health. Ths book will hopfully herald a renewed and empathic approach to male psychology in academia, mental health services and society as a whole."
-Rob Whitley, PhD, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University, Canada.
"In the fast-changing world of identities, reliable guides are much needed. Liddon and Barry's book provides just that for male psychologies. Comprehensive, even-handed, and rigorous, Perspectives in Male Psychology will be essential reading for everyone working with men and masculinities across disciplines and professions. In their first-class introduction to this area, Liddon and Barry have provided a missing piece in the jigsaw of human psychology- and we are likely to be thankful to them for years to come."
-Dr. Roger Kingerlee, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust; Co-Editor, The Palgrave Handbook of Male Psychology and Mental Health
"If you think of this as a male-centered book, you will be surprised. A must-read for anyone interested in both male and female psychology, and for people who want to go beyond the simplistic political ideologies that usually find voice in the public sphere. It is just when we think about sex differences that we are equipped to address the challenges that men and women face in modern society. And Barry and Liddon do that masterfully, while presenting the most rigorous and recent scientific literature, and contributing to a much-needed consilience in the social sciences."
- Ricardo Lopes, Broadcaster specialising in interviews with thought leaders in social sciences.
"The fact that this book is so readable, user-friendly scientific, affordable etc. is very exciting in terms of it making a huge difference to attitudes and practices - this book should definitely go on the curricula of psychology courses and will be an important test of the scientific neutrality and inclusivity of those courses"
- Martin Seager, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, co-founder of the Male Psychology Section of the British Psychological Society
"The book is an excellent introduction to many different factors relevant to male psychology. I would love to be able to incorporate this as a core textbook on the modules I teach on. Every section gives so much inspiration for different research ideas, and a really important overview of the many ways in which male psychology is relevant, and why it is so needed. I think this will be eye opening to many people who are just starting out in this area, and I can't wait to see the other books in this series!"
- Rebecca Owens, Chartered Psychologist, Lecturer in Psychology, module leader of the Male Psychology undergraduate programme at the University of Sunderland, Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
"At a time when we hear a great deal about toxic masculinity but little about the extensive challenges to the basic well being of boys and men in contemporary Western culture, the importance of this comprehensive, synoptic text by John Barry and Louise Liddon cannot be exaggerated. The title itself is significant. This is not a set of reflections belonging to so-called men's studies but a systematically organized textbook of research findings on fundamental themes in the psychology of the male human being- of being male. On a broad range of themes, the authors invite broad reading, reflection, and constructive intervention wherever possible- in families, schools, mental health clinics and yes, the mass media- in order to not further neglect clear and obvious problems among males that need immediate addressing such as boys and adolescents who fail to launch, men who face the daunting challenges of fathering, aging males, and those boys and men whose lives have been deeply unsettled by the even more unsettling view of masculinity that now prevails in many areas of contemporary society. This is a serious book written by scientists and scholars with a breadth of knowledge and understanding of half our population."
-Miles Groth, PhD, Professor (Emeritus), Department of Psychology, Wagner College, New York
"The need to open up the world of male psychology and wellbeing in a thoughtful, mature and inclusive way has never been more important. Even more so as identity politics is sadly and unnecessarily becoming more heated and ideological by the day. It means it is becoming harder to get to the bottom of issues in an understandable, factual and scientific fashion.
This is why this book is such an absolute triumph and is highly recommended. It enables readers to easily start to get to grips with male psychology by describing the issues and impact they have very clearly and objectively. Once you get to the end of a chapter, it piques your interest so much that you either immediately read the next or you start to delve into the subject even deeper. An absolute must-read for those wanting to start to understand the psychology of men."
-Mark Brooks OBE, Chair of the ManKind Initiative charity and inclusion/equalities advisor.
"I highly recommend this book. It is invaluable to anyone interested in developing a science-based, rather than ideologically based, understanding of male psychology. It's an ethical and practical 'must read' '101' for all counseling and psychotherapy practitioners and trainees."
-Sue Parker Hall
"Barry and Liddon's new book is a vital handbook for students and practitioners alike, working with Men's issues in a psychological setting in a positive, affirmative and uplifting way."
-Jennie Cummings-Knight, MA, MABCP, PGCE, FHEA
"This is a much-needed introduction book for anyone interested in what makes men think and behave the way they do. It is a critically important and timely contribution to the wider literature on gender-related topics. The authors covers a wide range of relevant topics about boys and men, including child development, education, mental health and wellbeing, and more.
The book helps students and specialists alike to get an overview of the most important topics in the field of male psychology.
The authors have done an especially good job in making the text easy and enjoyable to read. The book is filled with fascinating and carefully referenced facts, spotlight boxes, and discussion points. What is particularly striking about this book is how the authors describe controversial issues with a nuanced tone and with a deep understanding of different viewpoints on approaches to studying and discussing masculinity. This makes the book particularly useful for psychology and social-sciences courses on male psychology and masculinit in the English-speaking world.
This is an essential read for both students and specialists alike."
-Gijsbert Stoet, Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Essex
