“An exceptionally relevant, insightful, useful and constructive addition to the field of psychology”. Review by David Maywald of ‘Perspectives in Male Psychology’.
Image: Book cover and first page of contents listing, as depicted in David Maywald’s review of ‘Perspectives in Male Psychology’ by Louise Liddon & John Barry.
What an exceptionally relevant, insightful, useful and constructive addition to the field of psychology. For too long, mainstream psychology has too often approached males without sufficient curiosity or empathy. Male-typical behaviours have been viewed primarily through the lens of problems, deficits or pathology, while the distinctive needs, strengths, motivations and experiences of boys and men receive far less attention than they deserve.
Louise Liddon and John Barry offer something much better: a serious, evidence-informed attempt to understand male psychology on its own terms. And they accomplish an extraordinary amount in fewer than 300 pages.
Perspectives in Male Psychology: An Introduction ranges across some of the most important issues affecting boys and men:
Education,
Physical and mental health,
Relationships,
Fatherhood,
Sexuality,
Violence,
Crime,
Suicide,
Therapy
and much more.
Importantly, this isn't simply a theoretical critique of conventional psychology. It's practical and constructive. The authors repeatedly ask what the evidence tells us about males and, crucially, how that knowledge might help psychologists, educators, clinicians, employers and policymakers actually improve men's lives.
I particularly loved the chapter on male psychology in the workplace, which is brilliant and desperately needed. Given how much of adult life is spent working, understanding men's motivations, occupational choices, risk-taking, status, purpose, workplace relationships and wellbeing should be a much larger part of the conversation about male psychology.
This book demonstrates what becomes possible when we replace judgement with curiosity and ideological assumptions with evidence. It's highly readable, remarkably comprehensive for its length, academically grounded without being inaccessible, and full of insights with practical application.
Thank you, Louise Liddon and John Barry, for making such an important contribution to our understanding of boys and men. Very highly recommended.
This review was originally posted on X.
Reference: Liddon, L., & Barry, J. (2021). Perspectives in male psychology: An introduction. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 978-1-119-68535-7
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David Maywald
David Maywald is an Australian author, board director, and advocate for boys’ and men’s wellbeing. He writes on gender relationships, healthy collaboration between men and women, social policy, and the cultural forces shaping modern masculinity. His book The Relentless War on Masculinity was released on International Men’s Day (19 November 2025). https://www.facebook.com/CelebratingMasculinity https://www.linkedin.com/company/celebrating-masculinity https://x.com/CelebrateMales