The Lover Within: Accessing the Lover in the Male Psyche [Hardcover]

Robert Moore (Author), Douglas Gillette (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1993

The final volume in the series on the four foundational archetypes (The King Within, The Warrior Within and The Magician Within). Written in response to the needs and concerns of contemporary man, a Jungian psychoanalyst reveals how men can channel their libidinal energies without becoming possessed or overwhelmed by them. Photos.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this final volume in the four-book series that began with The King Within , Jungian analyst Moore and mythologist Gillette, a counselor, examine the Lover archetype within the male psyche (the others are the King, the Warrior, and the Magician--each examined in a previous volume). The authors trace how the Lover--the feeling side of men's nature--gives rise to passion, creativity and the pursuit of pleasure. Through the Lover's energy, the conscious mind may encounter the personal and collective unconscious. However, the authors contend, because many men fear being consumed--and thus emasculated--by the Lover's energy, they suppress their feelings and creative instincts. At the opposite extreme, a man can become possessed by the Lover, which then manifests itself as an addictive personality (whether to alcohol, drugs, food or relationships). A potpourri of Jungian theory and mythology, with anecdotes from Moore's workshops and private practice, this book attempts to show men how to get in touch with their inner Lover and use its energies without becoming consumed by them. Careful notes supply documentation for the authors' statements. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

This last volume of four (The Magician Within, p. 208, etc.) from Jungian psychoanalyst Moore and mythologist Gillette completes a vision of the mature man as a noble, emotionally generous, artistically expressive soul. Here, stating that all men are ``wired for loving, and for mystical experience,'' the authors consider why this is such a difficult ``energy'' for most men to master. They agree with men's movement luminary Robert Bly on the importance of a father to a boy's psychological development and on the connection between impaired adult instincts and early loss or deprivation: ``What determines the mode of a man's loving [monogamy, promiscuity, etc.] involves the ways in which he was wounded and affirmed as a boy.'' Men can struggle to avoid shadow behaviors and learn to use techniques to access the ``Lover within''--techniques including some form of play every day (to honor ``the Child within''); expressive activities (especially dance); and the development of capacities for spiritual experience. In this view of the authentic lover's ideal, a romantic involvement is central, not to find the lost elements or repressed parts of a man's life--though failure to do so sours a relationship--but to share what Harville Hendrix calls a ``passionate friendship'' (a friendship with, the authors add, a spiritual dimension). Shorter and less burdened by elaborate distinctions than the previous books--and offering a more streamlined roundup of background examples and fewer of those murky philosophical passages that erect barriers where there should be bridges. But even so, it's a dense and weighty read. (Fifty b&w photos, eight pages color photos--not seen) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (August 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688095933
• ISBN-13: 978-0688095932
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #893,755 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love Isn't All You Need, October 1, 2004

By 

Neal J. Pollock (VA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Lover Within: Accessing the Lover in the Male Psyche (Paperback)

Robert Moore & Doug Gillette published a number of books on their theory of 4 male archetypes. The first is an overview entitled: "King, Warrior, Magician, Lover." They followed up this fine introductory work with a book on each of the 4 archetypes. Interestingly, the media reviews of these books got better and better as each volume was published. I think this reflects more on the editorial reviewers than on the quality of the books! This last book of the series is, of course, on the Lover Archetype. Each of the 4 books has a completely redundant section (worth reading once, anyway), but also has much material on the particular, titled, archetype. The names of the archetypes are defined a bit differently than society might define them (e.g. the lover differs considerably from the Don Juan or Casanova image)--moving the descriptions into the worlds of psychology and mythology in which the two authors are well-versed. If you read one, it's best to read them all. Otherwise, you get a skewed view of the archetypes, the authors' works, and the theory they propose. Thus, I disagree with the Beetles, love isn't all you need! I like this book very much. It provides not only description of the archetype but some ramifications and ideas as to how to implement or invoke it. They also point out that the present situation of mens' psychologal development (somewhat lacking) is due to the loss of ancient men's initiation rights, methods, etc. Thus, they insert some sociological/anthropological considerations into the fray. I found this book uplifting and see the glass as half full; while we have made great strides in certain respects (as a civilization), we have also paid a price in losses along the way. The authors provided the rationale and some means of implementation of the Mens' Movement. Not only are these books valuable to men, but they are, perhaps, even more valuable to women who wish to interact and support men. They are a wonderful addition to the literature and to humans understanding themselves and each other. By the way, Dr. Moore is associated with the C. G. Jung Institute of Chicago and many of his audio tapes are available for purchase (or rental to members). They're great! He is a fine speaker--I heard him in person when he came to Maryland some years back.