ABSTRACT
In this chapter, cultural ideals of manhood are explored in terms of their influence on the gender identity development of both boys and girls. Dichotomies in gender identity are recognized, as well as the need to reconcile binary traits and tendencies in establishing a healthy gender identity that goes beyond prevailing heteronormative models. Relevant findings from neuroscience and biology help us compare and contrast the early childhood development of males with that of females. The concept of the ego ideal is employed as a tool with which to examine the specific impact of sociocultural and biological influences on the psychodynamics of male patients. I maintain that these influences converge to confirm that masculinity remains tenuous for all males, whether straight, gay, or bisexual, while always involving loss and lifelong tensions related to gendered ego ideals. A brief clinical vignette illustrates the distinct oedipal challenges that a man must confront to attain a maturing genital ego ideal through the analytic relationship.
