Walden University ScholarWorks Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study University Awards 1996 The father-wound in folklore: A critique of Mitscherlich, Bly, and their followers Hal W. Lanse Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dilley This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the University Awards at ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Frank Dilley Award for Outstanding Doctoral Study by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type o f computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. THE FATHER-WOUND IN FOLKLORE: A CRITIQUE OF MITSCHERLICH, BLY, AND THEIR FOLLOWERS by Hal W. Lanse M.A., Queens College Of the City University Of New York, 1991 B.A., Queens College of the City University of New York, 1979 A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Education Walden University November 1996 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. UMI Number: 9713645 Copyright 1997 by Lanse, Hal W. All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9713645 Copyright 1997, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DISSERTATION OF HAL W. LANSE APPROVED: J. KENT MORRISON VICE PRESIDENT FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS WALDEN UNIVERSITY 1996 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Walden University EDUCATION This is to certify that I have examined the doctoral dissertation by Hal Lanse and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the review committee have been made. Dr. Barry Persky, Committee Chair Professor of Education Signature Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Walden University EDUCATION This is to certify that I have examined the doctoral dissertation by Hal Lanse and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects. Mr. Earl Joseph Professor of Education — 7 -p------ ----------------- Signature / - q - / & Dale Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Walden University EDUCATION This is to certify that I have examined the doctoral dissertation by Hal Lanse and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects. Dr. Martin Gerstein Professor of Education Signature Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Walden University EDUCATION This is to certify that I have examined the doctoral dissertation by Hal Lanse and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects. Dr. Barbara Knudson, OAA Representative Professor of Education Signature % ■ ( * G Date Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT THE FATHER-WOUND IN FOLKLORE: A CRITIQUE OF MTTSCHERLICH, BLY, AND THEIR FOLLOWERS by Hal W. Lanse M.A., Queens College Of the City University Of New York, 1991 BA., Queens College of the City University of New York, 1979 A Dissertation Submittedin Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Education Walden University November 1996 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. ABSTRACT Bly, following the work of Mitscherlich, posits that the Industrial Revolution divided fathers and sons, because they no longer bond while working together on family farms. Bly claims that one result is that fathers feel angry and disenfranchised and their sons consequently suffer a father-wound (either physical or psychic abuse) at their hands. This, according to Bly, causes young men either to be so angry that they become a threat to society, or so dependent on their mothers that they are socialized as ineffectual, soft males. Many writers and therapists have embraced this theory— despite a lack of historical evidence. This study tested Bly's theory by comparing dysfunctional relationships described in the literature of the Men's Movement with relationships portrayed in ancient myths, folk tales, and Bible stories. Evidence of the father-wound was found in many of these stories, thus, casting doubt upon the historical validity of Bly's theory. Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. To Vali In a Wonderland they lie, Dreaming as the days go by, Dreaming as the summers die: Ever drifting down the stream- Lingering in the golden gleam— Life, what is it but a dream? —Lewis Carroll Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION.........................................................I Statement of the Problem..................................6 Background........................................................ 7 Purpose of the Study..................................... 10 Significance of the Study...............................11 Nature of the Sudy........................................... 12 Definition of Terms.......................................... 14 2. REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ....................... 18 3. DESIGN OF THE STUDY .................................... 61 Hypothesis.......................................................61 Assumptions................................................... 62 Scope and Limitations...................................63 Procedure........................................................64 4. RESULTS.................................................................66 Anima.............................................................. 67 Prince/King .....................................................76 Magus (or Magician)..................................... 89 Shadow...........................................................101 Warrior........................................................... 110 5. SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.......................................... 119 APPENDIX.................................................................124 WORKS CITED.........................................................127 VITA........................................................................... 132 ii Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION So the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden and made him cultivate the soil from which he had been formed.. Then at the west side of the garden he put... a flaming sword . to keep anyone from coming near the tree that gives life. (Good News Bible 1976, 4) The Bible, one of the oldest collections of stories know to humanity, is a treasure-trove of religious wisdom, allegorical tales, poetry, songs, mystical revelations, and adventures. It is also a sourcebook for the study of human nature and interpersonal relationships. This most famous of books provides many examples of courtship's, marital relationships, sibling rivalries, conflicts among neighbors, and parent-child interactions. God, from a literary point of view, can be viewed as a character who talks and acts most humanly and can therefore be included in the study of "human nature"— often as a father figure. In the early passage from Genesis, quoted above, God, in a most spectacular manner, does what many mortal fathers have done. He punishes a disobedient son. Whatever one makes of the theology that motivated the story it is clear that the authors of the