It's no secret that millions of men read magazines like Playboy and Penthouse and lust after bikini-clad models. After all, guys will be guys, and what's the harm? Plenty! claims psychologist and educator Gary R. Brooks, author of The Centerfold Syndrome, a ground-breaking book that shows how many so-called normal male attitudes toward sex are actually harmful and destructive. Here is the first candid analysis of how boys are conditioned to pursue airbrushed photo fantasies, and how they're brought up to depend upon and yet fear the perceived power women hold over them as gatekeepers to a...

Breaking down the barriers

Most men are trained from earliest childhood to suppress emotional distress, to avoid the subtle signals of interpersonal conflicts, to experience humiliation at the first hint of failure, and most of all, to resist asking for help. In this much-needed book, Gary Brooks shares his experience of working with resistant male clients and shows how to overcome this resistance and achieve positive results. Brooks reveals how compassion, respect, empathy, and sensitivity to men's defenses help break down barriers and make them amenable to the therapeutic...