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CHAPTER 7RETHINKING HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND THE TIME OF OUR LIVES

As psychiatrists know, moving from adolescence to adulthood usually means rebellion—particularly against mom and dad. Could it be that the attacks on government, particularly in the United States, whether government is seen as the “nanny” or as the “paternal” state, are a sign that we are growing up? This idea may provide a key to our current confused politics. Yet if so, we are in for a bumpy ride. All the hot issues around government—devolution of federal regulation back to the states, unfunded mandates, welfare, taxes, budget balancing, fairness, affirmative action—stoke deep wells of passion. Men of all ages who grew up in father-deprived circumstances experienced mom as ...

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