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My Father Before Me: How Fathers and Sons Influence Each Other Throughout Their Lives. by Michael J. Diamond. New York: Norton, 2007, 239 pp.
In My Father Before Me, Michael Diamond, a psychoanalytically oriented therapist, offers a rich array of clinical experience, case histories and therapeutic insights in presenting an engaging overview of the dynamics of intergenerational relationships between fathers and sons. Beginning with expectant fathers, and following men and their sons in a staged progression from the transition to fathering through senescence, Diamond portrays common concerns, difficulties, interactive strains, and clinical solutions to typical issues faced by fathers and sons as they traverse the ever-shifting developmental landscape. The primary focus of the book is the emotional terrain and issues of balance (or imbalance) faced by men in relation to their fathers and sons. Related marital and gender issues are also discussed. Although the chapters are organized around stages of development based on the age of the son, the emotional and clinical issues experienced by fathers and sons are highlighted to a greater degree than is the broad spectrum of positive developmental gains experienced intergenerationally across cognitive, physical, spiritual, and relational domains.
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