He: Understanding Masculine Psychology

The advice is good. I don't like it when the silly Jungians and Fruedians start using jargon but this book was a surprisingly good intro to Jungian thinking, a great example of analyses of the collective (un)consciousness as well as a reminder; happiness is like love. If you only chase it mono-directionally you'll scare away the person and they'll pepper spray you. If you are sated/whole without it then it'll enter into your life itself.

By the trident, bless the internet for being able to learn such wisdom early!

Myths and legends form powerful expressions of our humanity. It would seem that the most enduring of them are likely so powerful because they tap into some elemental truth of our humanness. If so, a deep reading of the story should illuminate ourselves.

This is what Robert Johnson achieves in He: Understanding Masculine Psychology, a deconstruction and interpretation of the Grail story. Johnson, a psychologist with Jungian training interprets the tale of Parsifal’s departure from his mother, arrival at Arthur’s court, and search for the Grail.

The Arthurian legends comprise a body of stories with multiple variations. The tales focus variously upon Arthur, the naïve knight, Parsifal (Percival), other knights, mentors, the ailing show more Fisher King, Queen Guenevere, other damsels and loathsome ladies. Johnson uses the French version, penned as an epic poem by Chrétien de Troyes, in the 12th century because it is the oldest. Being the oldest version, it is simpler, more direct, and closer to the subconscious.

As we follow Parsival through his adventures Johnson interprets them as life transitions for men. In the process we discover antecedents to Lord of the Rings, the Star Wars trilogy, and Harry Potter. At the end we understand that chasing happiness is ephemeral and true meaning and wholeness can only be attained through service to others.

To get us there, I have a worry about the fidelity of Johnson’s retelling of the story, the origins of which are lost in the mists of time. show less

This book was read as part of an effort to establish "Why do men think like that?" Unfortunately, the woman who was also reading the book viewed it as an exploration of what had to be changed to make men think like women, not to understand the duality in couples relationships. So, it requires an investment in objectivity on the part of the reader. I don't think it was a bad book about how men think.
Why, if the book was published in 1989, did I finish it on October 20th, 1986?

This book takes the myth of Parsifal and attempts to explain some basic aspects of masculine psychology. I did not enjoy this book quite as much as We, or She. The main reason is because, although it describes what men need to do during their journey of life, it doesn't really explain or give many real world examples.The basic premise is that men have a latent or suppressed feminine side of their personality (anima) that needs to be dealt with and accepted instead of ignored.

If anyone could help me get anything other than a rare insight into what the author was saying and how he came to his many conclusions, I'd be grateful.

Do you need some background in Jung or some other preparation for reading this book?

One of the two books (with Tillich's The Courage to Be) that helped get me through a Dark Night of the Soul.