Psychology’s perennial favourite—blaming Mum—seems to be an
increasingly threadbare ideology: long-term studies, for instance, have
recognised that mental health often depends on how well babies fit
temperamentally with both their parents. James Park’s Sons, Mothers and Other
Lovers (Abacus, £7.99, ISBN 0 349 10740 8), a look at men’s fear of
intimacy, wags a finger at extremists in the men’s movement and neglectful
fathers; but the focus is firmly on mothers, whose combination of power and
otherness leaves boys, Park says, in a state of virtual womb envy. The
labels—”demanding” mothers, “lovelorn” sons— don’t help.
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
91ɫÇéƬ
Less than 4 minutes of vigorous exercise a day could halve your dementia risk
News
91ɫÇéƬ
Parkinson’s may be driven by ‘vicious cycle’ that disrupts brain waste drainage
News
Space
Hubble Space Telescope is falling to Earth – should NASA save it?
News
Space
A robot called GIMLI will explore a lunar cave for a future moon base
91ɫÇéƬ
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles