Title: The fragile male
First published: 1994
Description: Is the human male merely a sperm donor? Why are men violent, and where are they headed?

The Fragile Male is the first study of male behavior through scientific observation. Males may first have evolved to serve females; by accident and virtue of their strength men grew to believe they were superior. Dr. Greenstein analyses and exposes human male behavior through revelatory comparisons with males of other species. In many cases the same instincts that drive male animals to exclude females and seek dominance are responsible for human male behavior.

Under tremendous pressure, deprived of his "superior" standing and of outlets for his natural aggression, the human male is in danger of either shutting down or going even more violently out of control. Sometimes shocking but always essential reading, The Fragile Male is a lucid and accessible book that will help men to better understand themselves, and women to understand men. Quoting Dr. Greenstein:.

"When the first human male stepped out into the sun he was impressive. He was tough, handsome, brave, and intelligent. He was ruthless, lusty, and murderous, and the world was his oyster. He could outthink and outmaneuver any other creature on earth and he revelled in hunting and killing them. He was thus supremely well equipped to perform his primary purpose, which was to fertilize the female and protect their progeny until the latter could take care of themselves.

He did this without asking himself why, and he did it driven by an emotion which he did not understand, but which ruled his mind and which was more important to him than anything else. It is an emotion that we call pride, and pride made him exult in the awareness of his success. Without pride he could never have succeeded.

. "The men hunted large, dangerous animals in groups, and food was shared. But not the women. Each man had his own woman, whom he guarded fiercely and with whom he and he alone copulated. This was a most powerful drive, an imperative laid down millions of years before in the proto-male fanatical about guarding his genes."
Subjects: Human behavior, Psychology, Men, Attitudes, Hormones, Men, psychology
LC classification: HQ1090 .G76 1994