Through her work counseling couples, and complemented by a detailed reading of some of Western civilization's major texts (e.g., Genesis, Greek mythology, Shakespeare, Proust, Freud and Anne Frank), psychologist Gilligan finds a relationship between the larger social order—patriarchy—and the problems individuals may have in forming loving relationships. According to Gilligan (In a Different Voice), the damage starts very young. At four and five years of age, boys learn to cut off some key relationships (e.g., with their mothers) to be more "masculine," resulting in a host of behavioral problems in grade school. Girls' troubles appear in adolescence, when they realize that being "good" means muting or censoring aspects of their personalities to maintain relationships with others. For children, conforming to patriarchal expectations produces trauma, the "shock to the psyche that leads to dissociation." Following the gender rules entails losses for both sexes, attests Gilligan, endangering adult relationships in the end. After a marriage's "honeymoon" phase, Gilligan says, the husband is often emotionally unavailable and the wife so adept at concealing her true feelings that she has to leave the marriage to rediscover who she is. For Gilligan, pleasure in these relationships is compromised by the awareness of what is not said. While the evidence Gilligan summons from her experiences co-leading couples counseling sessions sometimes seems forced, her observations of boys and teenaged girls may provoke new understandings of these troubled—and troubling—groups. Her mastery of literary sources and her intelligent but nonacademic writing style make this an enjoyable, challenging work. Agent, John Brockman. (May 7)
Forecast:It's been 20 years since Gilligan wrote a book on her own, and her fans will surely want to reconnect with her by buying this one. An NPR appearance and an author tour will drum up interest among the uninitiated.
