Silent Sons

It could be you or someone you love. Strong, silent types are everywhere, and it is their telltale silence that has kept their problems hidden until now. A silent son can come from a family that coped with violence, alcoholism, child abuse, extreme rigidity, or divorce, but all silent sons have certain common characteristics:

• They keep things that bother them to themselves.
• They deny that unpleasant events occur.
• They fear letting people know them.
• They have difficulty interacting with their parents, spouses, or children.
• They have a strong fear of criticism.
• They are often angry. In Silent Sons, Dr. Robert Ackerman, a silent son himself, examines the problems that commonly confront silent sons, keeping them from experiencing the full range of human emotions. In a compassionate and hopeful voice, the author defines the silent son and examines the impact of parents, particularly fathers, on these men and shows how their dysfunctional upbringing affects their present relationships, especially with women. By putting aside anger, finding peace with one's self, and looking for support from other silent sons, Dr. Ackerman feels every man can realize his full potential and become a well balanced, healthy survivor.

Dr. Robert J. Ackerman is the author of Perfect Daughters. A professor of sociology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, he lives in Indiana, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Kimberly, and their three children.