Unlocking the Iron Cage: The Men's Movement, Gender Politics, and American Culture

by Michael Schwalbe

The mythopoetic men's movement grew quietly for ten years before Roberts Bly's bestseller Iron John brought the movement to national attention. Reactions to the movement ranged from bemused or dismissive stories appearing in Sunday supplements and magazines, to outrageous lampoons on stage, to
harsh criticism by many feminists. Bly and the mythopoetic claimed in turn to be misunderstood. What is the truth about these men and their movement? Why do these middle-class white men gather at rustic camps to beat drums, dance wildly, hold sweat lodge rituals, laugh and cry, and listen to old
myths and fairy tales?
Based on Michael Schwalbe's three years of experience as a participant and observer at over one hundred meetings, as well as on interviews with active members, Unlocking the Iron Cage provides a revealing look at who these men are, what they do, why mythopoetic activity appeals to them, what needs
it fills, where it succeeds, and where it fails. Schwalbe illuminates the theory behind the mythopoetic movement--which derives largely from Jungian psychology and the archetypal psychology of James Hillman--but for the most part he focuses on the rank-and-file participants. He finds mostly
middle-class men trying to cope with the legacy of fathers who gave little emotional sustenance and with a competitive society they find unsatisfying, who sympathize with many of women's complaints about men and sexism (though Schwalbe also finds that many joined as a reaction to what they saw as
feminism's blanket indictment of men), and who are searching for an alternative to the traditional image of a man as rational, tough, ambitious, and in control.
Schwalbe finds much of value in the men's quest. For instance, he highlights the religious appeal of mythopoetic activity, with its emphasis on finding one's personal truth, its gentle pantheism, its use of ritual to create emotional communion--all of which give the men the wide, inclusive path to
spirituality they want. And he shows how Jungian psychology helps the men to redefine their feminine traits, especially their emotionality, as aspects of "deep masculinity." But he also levels some criticisms. He shows, for example, that the myths the men embrace--myths that tend to be devoid of
women, or that portray women as beautiful prizes, or as hags, or cloying mothers-- reinforce the presumptions of male superiority they claim to reject.
If the mythopoetic movement seems absurd to an outsiders, it is no more ludicrous than football--with fans shirtless in freezing weather, their faces painted, screaming themselves hoarse--and it is far less damaging to men's image of women or of themselves. In Unlocking the Iron Cage , Michael
Schwalbe provides an understanding, insightful account of this often-maligned grass-roots movement, revealing both its potential for harm and the genuine value it has for many people.

Genres: Sociology

304 pages, Hardcover

First published February 22, 1996

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN "INSIDE" LOOK AT THE MYTHOPOETIC MEN'S MOVEMENT BY A SOCIOLOGIST

At the time this book was published in 1996, Michael Schwalbe was a professor of Sociology at North Carolina State University. He wrote in the "Acknowledgements" section, "[A male friend] and I decided we ought to write a book about men... Men were floundering in turbulent cultural waters, beweighed with guilt. If we could offer a guide to responsible manhood without guilt, we'd have a bestseller, we thought...

"That was six years ago. Since then, some things have fallen into place. For me, this has happened in large part through researching and writing this book... I've had a lot of help getting this far. Much of it came from the men I studied, the men involved in mythopoetic activity... I know that some of them won't like what I've said here but, to put it in terms they will recognize, my warrior and magician energies compelled me to do so." (Pg. vii-viii)

He adds, "'Unlocking the Iron Cage' is the result of taking a close look at the men and their activities, from the inside, over a period of about three years. It is a book for anyone who wants to know who these 'mythopoetic men' are, what they did, why they did it, and the likely consequences of it all." (Pg. 4)

He states, "The mythopoetic men's movement was not what sociologists would normally call a social movement. It was not centrally coordinated, had no official leaders, did not proselytize for new members, imposed no doctrinal tests on participants, and was not aimed at changing public policy... The men involved were not concerned with reforming society but with changing themselves." (Pg. 5-6)

He admits, "It's easy to peg the mythopoetic men demographically. Nearly all of them were white, middle- or upper-middle class, between 35 and 60 years old, and self-identified as heterosexual." (Pg. 19) He adds, "Nearly all were college graduates; quite a few ... had advanced or professional degrees. Most had steady jobs, earned incomes above the national median, and owned homes." (Pg. 25)

He also suggests, "Even if these men were not members of the power elite, they still belonged to privileged categories. As such, they had the psychic resources... to create a powerful, collective response to their common problems." (Pg. 30)

He argues, "as the 1970s became the 1980s, the affinity [between premythopoetic men and feminist women] began to break down... the men felt the sting of a radical feminist critique that saw men as morally irredeemable... Stalled change on the political level also seemed to intensify gender politics on the personal level, and this put a lot of sensitive men on the spot. To these men... feminist criticism began to feel like a personal attack, even a betrayal." (Pg. 23)

He notes that "The Jungian basis of mythopoetic activity was no secret. It was readily apparent that the movement's most prominent teachers were steeped in Jungian thought---James Hillman being one of the most famous living Jungian psychologists, and Robert Bly and Michael Meade... drawing heavily on Jung to inform their work with poetry, ritual, and myth." (Pg. 36)

He asserts, "Just as the men avoided serious talk about politics for fear of inhibiting communitas, they also avoided serious analyses of their gender predicaments for fear of destroying the mystique of men's work..." (Pg. 139)

He adds, "The mythopoetic outlook was also blind to institutional power, the kind that comes from a position of authority... It was hard to see that it is mostly men---as CEOs, politicians, and top administrators---who make the policy decisions that affect the fate of women in millions of households. This blindness helped sustain the coherence of the mythopoetic outlook... If men's institutional power was acknowledged at all, its significance was downplayed by suggesting that it was balanced by women's allegedly greater power in the home." (Pg. 146-147)

He also contends, "Despite the undercurrents of homophobia and the tendency of mythopoetic leaders to keep homosexuality invisible, bisexual and some openly gay men found mythopoetic contexts attractive because of the prohibitions against judging each other and competing for manhood status... Many of the men remained ambivalent about gay sexuality. In interviews... several men added that, even if they were intellectually accepting of gay men, they were still uneasy with 'that lifestyle.'" (Pg. 200-201)

He ultimately admits, "Mythopoetic activity did change some men's lives. It got them out of their isolation and into fellowship with other men. It raised their awareness of themselves as emotional beings. It helped them find self-acceptance. It brought on bursts of creativity... Mythopoetic activity did change some men's lives by opening their eyes to what they had missed by living in the iron cage of masculinist, bureaucratic rationality." (Pg. 239)

He concludes, "I challenge the mythopoetic men to think more critically about the dangers of archetypalizing social roles, embracing essentialism, celebrating masculinity, using stories that are full of sexist imagery, engaging in activities that encourage androcentrism, and insulating feelings from analysis." (Pg. (Pg. 245)

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm almost done with this book and it just keeps getting better and better! It really delves into how people use their beliefs to make themselves feel better and how this is positive and negative. Specifically, the men who used myths to empower their sense of manhood often ignored how those myths encouraged sexism and reinforced our current sex and gender roles. The author also rips the veil off of groups that meet for spiritual exploration. He shows what they are really getting out of it and how it is all happening. I wish I had read this when I was leading women's spirituality groups because most of the same explanations and criticisms apply! He is now doing a critique of Jungian psychology in general and as it was used by these men's spirituality groups. Again, I'm sure I'm going to be able to draw a lot of similarities with my own experiences with goddess archetypes.

[Sylvester · Rating 1 out of 5]

So, you could blatantly say you are biased yourself and still sell a book. Schwalbe is possibly one of the worst sociologists I know (And since all sociologists are ignorant morons, if he deserved a special mention, you can tell he's beyond terrible).