ABSTRACT
Throughout Western history, there have been a number of dichotomies which have been very powerful in shaping images of masculinity. This chapter discusses the dichotomy between rational and emotional. It briefs a second dichotomy: the universal versus the particular, the third dichotomy, which overlaps somewhat with the preceding two, is the dichotomy of mind versus body. Another dichotomy which is perhaps implicit in some of the others is a more general dichotomy of higher versus lower. While the above dichotoxmies would seem to cluster together and overlap, a different theme is found in the dichotomy of separateness versus connectedness. Another dichotomy is the dichotomy of individual versus collective. Another significant dichotomy is learning versus insufficiency. A broader and subtle dichotomy, which at first may seem trivial or distracting from the preceding ones, is a dichotomy which stems from our cultural use of language and the way our language defines our reality. This is a dichotomy referred as 'me versus myself'.
