Double Bind: Escaping the Contradictory Demands of Manhood

If you're like most men, cultural demands have turned you into an emotional chameleon. You're expected to be aggressive at work, yet nurturing at home; guarded in public, but sensitive in private.
Dr. Rodney Cooper calls such contradictory demands "double binds " - no-win situations men face every day, such as: A man's identity is reduced to the roles he plays rather than who he really is - but he can't adequately fulfill his roles without a firm sense of his true identity. The man who provides for his family hears complaints that his job keeps him from giving more of himself to his wife and children. The husband who spends all his spare time with his wife, as society expects, forfeits the benefits of friendships with other men.
Men caught in double binds expend their energy trying to be everything to everyone. Consequently, they never dig deep into the heart of masculinity to discover for themselves their true identity and the freedom it brings.
Fortunately, there's a way to break free from the double binds in your life. Drawing on Dr. Cooper's experience as a professional counselor to men, Double Bind first explores the most prevalent double binds men face today - including the crucial Identity Double Bind - and points to a proven path for resolving each one. Then it reveals biblical principles for living the Abundant Life: a life characterized by peace and assurance, grounded in a clear understanding of who you are and Whose you are.

Rodney L. Cooper, Ph.D., was previously chairman of the Psychology Department at Colorado Christian University and co-chairman of the Counseling Department at Denver Seminary.