Steven D. Axelrod, Ph.D., practices psychotherapy and psychoanalysis as well as executive advising in New York City. He has written on male development and on the psychoanalysis of work and organizations, including his book Work and the Evolving Self. Steve has also contributed to Harvard Business Review, CEO Update, Forbes.com, and Good Company. He lectures, consults and conducts workshops on adult development, executive coaching, masculinity, and the psychoanalysis of work and organizations.
Michael J. Diamond, Ph.D., ABPP, practices psychoanalysis and psychotherapy in Los Angeles where he is also a Training & Supervising Analyst and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, UCLA. He has authored several books, including My Father Before Me: How Fathers and Sons Influence Each Other Throughout Their Lives, and most recently co-edited The Second Century of Psychoanalysis: Evolving Perspectives on Therapeutic Action. He has written on psychoanalytic gender theory, fathering and masculinity, and psychoanalytic technique. Michael lectures and conducts workshops nationally and internationally and has received numerous awards for his writing, teaching, and clinical work. Steven Axelrod &
Michael Diamond
The Changing Face of Masculinity
July 23-27, 2012
What is masculinity? In this workshop we explore that question in ways salient to clinical work. We offer a contemporary psychodynamic approach for understanding the formation of men’s gender identity and male development throughout the lifecycle. Working at the nexus of contemporary Freudian, Object Relational, Lacanian, and Intersubjective approaches, we describe the normative and pathological aspects of masculine experience across the lifecycle. This developmental framework offers a new way to look at the challenges men encounter and what is commonly referred to as the male ego.
We will examine the adaptive and problematic ways that the need to prove one’s manhood plays out in the clinical, social, and political spheres. The lens of fatherhood and men’s relationships with their own fathers will provide a powerful tool for differentiating healthy versus pathological development.
Treatment issues will be discussed throughout the course using clinical vignettes and the participants’ case material as well as video clips from TV shows and movies to illustrate concepts as they are expressed in a social context.
This course, by and about men, is not for men only. It is an opportunity for women, who make up the majority of therapists today, to better understand and appreciate the men in their lives – whether as clients, husbands and partners, sons, or their own fathers
Monday
Framework for Male Development
The initial construction of male gender and its lifelong development. The psychosexual positions of boys and men and the role of the male ego. The challenges for males at each point in the lifecycle.
Tuesday
Masculinity in Cultural Context
Masculinity and the changing social roles and images of men and women. Critical issues include addictions, violence, male intimacy, social isolation, and the need to prove manhood..
Wednesday
Fatherhood Across the Lifecycle
We discuss the patient's relationship to his father, a central theme in therapy, but often overlooked in the literature. Special attention is paid to the reciprocity in father-child relations across the lifecycle and its significance for clinical interventions. The special issues of father-daughter relationships will be considered.
Thursday
Men and Work
We will focus on men’s special relationship to work, a topic has neglected in the psychodynamic literature. The crucial link between work and the male ego is considered. Typical male work issues encountered in the clinical setting as well as challenges for men in organizational life are explored.
Friday
Men in Treatment
The final day is devoted exclusively to treatment. Special challenges in psychotherapy include the prominence of shame, a bias for action over reflection, sexuality, and male-specific intimacy needs and styles. Participants will share difficult cases and explore counter-transference experiences to deepen clinical understanding and technical skill in working with male patients. Issues in the female therapist – male patient dyad will be considered in depth
