A woman cannot give a man his sense of maleness. He can desire her, but not identify with her. At best, she can give him a negative identification: This can be very thrilling, but still leaves him deprived of an object of positive identification. {..} other men are brought in to fill the void. They provide contact with an element the inventor, consciously or not, knows he needs to assert himself as fully male. {..} By joining in their sexual games, the woman grants absolution and permission. It isn't so much that these men use women to get to other men as that they need the woman to help break through the guilt barrier that blocks them from their about other men.
( Nancy Friday )
[ Men In Love ]
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