The King Within: Accessing the King in the Male Psyche

by Robert L. Moore, Douglas Gillette

In this pioneering contribution to the emerging men's movement, Robert Moore, a Jungian psychoanalyst who, along with Robert Bly, is a principle architect of the movement, and Douglas Gillette, a mythologist, examine the inner King--one of the four archetypes of the male psyche. 8-page color photo section; 50 black-and-white photos.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Philosophy, Spirituality, Self Help, Mythology, Personal Development

336 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 1992

About the author

Robert L. Moore (August 13, 1942 - June 18, 2016) was an American Jungian analyst and consultant in private practice in Chicago, Illinois. He was the Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Spirituality at the Chicago Theological Seminary; a training analyst at the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago; and director of research for the Institute for the Science of Psychoanalysis. Author and editor of numerous books in psychology and spirituality, he lectured internationally on his formulation of a Neo-Jungian paradigm for psychotherapy and psychoanalysis. He was working on Structural Psychoanalysis and Integrative Psychotherapy: A Neo-Jungian Paradigm at the time of his death.

Dr Robert Moore was an internationally recognized psychotherapist and consultant in private practice in Chicago. Although he worked with both men and women, and was considered one of the leading therapists specializing in psychotherapy with men because of his discovery of the Archetypal Dynamics of the Masculine Self (King, Warrior, Magician, Lover). He served as Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Spirituality at the Graduate Center of the Chicago Theological Seminary, and has served as a Training Analyst at the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago. He is Co-founder of the Chicago Center for Integrative Psychotherapy.

Reviews

[Morgan Blackledge · Rating 4 out of 5]

The terms “Toxic Masculinity”, “Frail Masculinity” and “Male Privilege” are all timely and important. They give language to something almost everyone feels, and pretty much no one likes.

Toxic connotes something that is poisonous, and almost contagious, you feel your skin itch, and your cells dying when you get too close.

Radioactive.

Carcinogenic.

Irritating in small doses.

Deadly with chronic exposure.

Like:
- Fentanyl.
- Chernobyl.
- Exxon Valdez.
- Melting Glaciers.
- A sewage treatment plant built on a beautiful beach.

Toxic masculinity is undeniable in its aversive, near unsalvageable, unredeemable repugnance.

Toxic masculinity is that type of male thinking, feeling and behavior that is unbalanced, wanton, caustic and tirelessly destructive.

Mean.

Bloviating.

And delighting in inflicting pain and suffering.

Frail Masculinity is a close variant.

Insecure.

No chill at all.

Can’t take a joke.

Overly demonstrative.

Twisted and kinky (in the bad way).

And male privilege is…

The special sauce that all that other stuff floats around in.

It’s very real.

It’s overtly recognizable by anyone who doesn’t have it.

The worst part about it is.

Most guys don’t realize they have it.

Until it is denied.

And then….

Watch the fuck out!

But on the flip.

What (precisely) is the generative male ideal?

What aspects of masculinity should we value and affirm?

What archetypes should men emulate and evoke?

And how (exactly) should men go about doing this?

These are some of the questions Robert More and Douglas Gillette attempt to answer in The King Within.

They assert that men need to have functional and developed masculine archetypes in order to be psychologically healthy.

They offer the King, Magician, Warrior and Lover archetypes as a starter kit, and assert that the failure to develop the laudable versions of these leads to the tyrannical, scammy, clueless, abusive and insecure traits associated with the toxic, frail and privileged masculinity mentioned previously.

I have to say.

I liked this book despite A LOT of aversion and misgiving.

I am generally wary of these types of books.

I think it is ABSOLUTELY appropriate to be skeptical and cautious when it comes to this sort of thing.

That being said.

I think this book offers a lot of valuable insights.

I’m looking for new directions as a therpaist.

I’m at a crossroads in my life.

I’m venturing out in new ways.

And I’m hungry for some kind of wisdom and inspiration to keep stepping towards my vision instead of bailing and fulfilling someone else’s.

I liked this book quite a bit.

I may even re-read it at some point.

4/5 stars ✨

Why 4 not 5 starts?

Some of the ideas are dated.

Some of the thinking is soft.

I’m willing to bypass some of the nonsense to get at the (surprisingly) good other stuff.

But a one star deduction for dippy new age and outdated passages seems fair.

[Kathryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book because I went to a workshop given by Robert Moore and wanted to learn more about his ideas. I liked Moore in some ways but not in others. In person, I found him rather patriarchal, contentious and self-referential. But I loved his ideas.

I have to admire Moore for making such a comprehensive study of masculinity because I think the ways in which we define masculinity go largely unquestioned in our culture, and yet, have huge impact. This book addresses the King archetype, one of four in Moore's theoretical system, the part of the psyche that organizes, builds, and puts resources to use. The book gives a great overview of all four but focuses in on this one, detailing its various functions and what happens when it becomes over-inflated or under-developed. It provides a very useful conceptual system for thinking about the masculine psyche.

[Mike Tomasello · Rating 2 out of 5]

I desperately wanted to like this book. I spent months tracking this out of print book. I've studied masculine energy and the King Warrior Magician Lover archetypes for 8+ years. If this was K, W, M, L focused on the King I think it could have been a magical book.

Maybe I'm just not smart enough to appreciate this (I have a Masters Degree from a Top Tier school, a leader in Men's work, Career success, etc.) yet despite all of the research and intellectualism in the book, I found it poorly organized and put together.

This book is trying to be too many different things to different people. It's part research study on different King examples throughout history. It's part psychology. It's part characteristics of being in this archetype or staying out of the shadow archetype all in less than 250 pages (being generous). The rest is appendices and citations.

It's a hard read. If the authors had focused on one purpose for this book, it would have been a gift for the world. However, I now know why it's out of print.

If you have designs on improving your kingship or leadership, I'd suggest reading another book on leadership, attending a Mankind Project New Warrior Training Adventure, or imagining your own views of kingship and choosing to act on them.

[Aliaksei Mukhachou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is too short. But it's great. It has resonated with me on multiple levels as I reflect on what has pulled and pushed me. I do operate by archetypes, I have done so since childhood. This book does a good job describing their influence, their evolution and the interaction archetypes have with our daily lives.

[Kevin Fuller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having set the stage with their book King Warrior Magician Lover, our two authors delve deeper into what they call the central facet of a healthy male psyche, the King.

Copious examples of King qualities ranging in leaders from the Far East to American shores are given in the middle of the book which are actually quite enlightening and though similar to one another, not redundant.

Some time is spent, thankfully, explaining Jungian Archetypal theory, and the role said theory plays in the authors' development of their central argument, that a man desires to access the Archetypal King without completely identifying with the role. Again, thankfully, the authors make it clear one should 'access' the King energy without completely identifying with the Archetype...which could land one in a psychiatric ward in short order.

In addition, chapters are devoted to the Shadow sides of the King, the high chair Tyrant and the effete Weakling. So our two writers do us justice by pointing out the complexities one faces when attempting to access this King energy.

So, the goal ultimately becomes not to be King (which after all, in the day and age we are living in, would only last one day) but rather to be a 'Generative Man' who, accessing King energy, empowers and inspires those around him and uses the destructive energy of the King to aid those who most need help.

It is said when one is ready, the Teacher(s) will arrive.

I was ready. Are you?

[Calvin Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ghostface Killah would be more apt to present the topics in this book; the author uses too many verbal gymnastic and ends up falling on his face too often. Either that, or I'm just too slow to follow him (possible)

Save yourself some time and jump to part 4; everything preceding is a historical perspective on the role of the king architecture within the world.

[Mick D · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Scratch a weakling and you'll find a tyrant, scratch a tyrant and you'll find a weakling"

[Jay Cresva · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the King archetype..which is one of the four masculine archetypes or universal pattern. The first half of the (audio)book provides historical context of the idea of an ideal King, the conclusion being - mortal or immortal Kings are above regular humans. The second half is about the nature of the King..namely - the four functions that Kings carry out for their subject. It also discusses how Kings can become a tyrant or cowardly. "The generative man", the archetypal masculine man and how to access all the positive qualities of the generative man is also discussed.
This book is dense in Jungian terminology. I had to listen to the audiobook three times and consult Wikipedia/other sites to grasp the concepts.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the historical context provided in this book about how Kings evolved in the minds of Kings and common people alike, and especially the history of spirituality during the Axial Age. The prescriptions for what the authors see as a modern crisis were underwhelming, and the one-off shot they took at contemporary figures didn't seem entirely relevant. If meditation is an answer, then they should have been more knowledgeable about that topic. Ritual seemed like a good prescription, but the book lacked a robust conversation about the power of ritual. Overall it was an interesting read on a topic that often seems unnecessarily controversial.

[Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent follow up to King, Warrior, Magician, Lover. Good job of distilling a lot of depth psychology into an easily digestible format. Minus one star because they take their own concept and conflate it into more than necessary for the accessible reader. One hundred pages of unnecessary rotundity, but hey, whomever goes on a new journey doesn’t get to choose the road before them. So I take it all and see clear resources available to continue the ineffable journey towards individuation.

[Janne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the continuation to the King, Warrior, Magician, Lover: Rediscovering the Archetypes of the Mature Masculine -book and dives deeper into the archetype of the king. Book exceeded my expectation and I got out of better understanding what it means to have a healthy relation to the power, king archetype and through the king to the other archetypes as well.

[Rick Wilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really fascinating exploration of male Jungian archetypes.

I still am unconvinced that archetypes are some sort of mystical deeper layer to the world. But this is interesting and makes you think about how you’re showing up in the world

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still relevant and appropriate.

[JM · Rating 2 out of 5]

The analysis of myth throughout time and how the King fits into cultures that was interesting. The prescription of the "Generative Man" seems to just be post 1965 boomer liberal values; be a good global citizen, don't be a nationalist or a communist, don't see race, love mother earth, serve the underprivileged, we are the change, we are all in this together etc. My question is then has there not been a Generative Man prior to these values? Where do these oughts come from? What's these oughts grounding?

He tries to analyze modern leaders, Sadam Hussien, JFK, Carter etc. But his understanding of these events are typical of a normie boomer and tailored to fit his view. The Bay of Pigs is JFK's fault, no mention of the plot of the CIA. Its also JFK's fault for his assassination for riding around with the top down as a "King" needed to be seen. But was it also Teddy Roosevelts fault for being shot because he needed to be seen and heard by his people. JFK is also bad for running around on Jackie. But for example, he idolizes people like Gandhi but fails to mention Gandhi's views on race and his sexual abuses.

Moore places way to much emphasis incorporating female energy. Again the common boomer thinking of "getting in touch with your feminine side," men need to be more vulnerable, and be "Servant Leaders" that we have seen rise from the 90's. We have seen what this leads to and being a pajama boy ain't it but maybe thats just my "Shadow Ego" talking.

If you are coming from KWML, you will be probably disappointed. I would skip it if you have limited time to read. There are other good books like Iron John to read. If you are trying to hunt this book down as it is very hard to find and often pretty expensive, save yourself the money and skip it or find the pdf online.

[brian d rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I look forward to always better defining my role as a man in the 21st century. With so many conflicting opinions on what a man should be, I thought this book could be another step in understanding. Do not expect this book to give you a step by step process, or some type of new age recipe for becoming a modern man. I think, for me, this book is a very basic introduction to the definitions of some of the character archetypes as defined by Carl Jung. It doesn't touch on all the character archetypes. Mostly the King, The Magician and the lightly touches on the Shadow Self. It creates an interesting nexus between science, spirituality and psychology. Often referring to the Axis Monday the theoretical place between places, or heaven and earth if this understanding connects with you. So it's not a quantifiable point of view. It requires an open mind into thoughts that will bring you closer to its point or push you away. I was able to draw from these vantage points a useful "center". The book lightly touches on the Shadow Self as I said. I believe a book like this will give three potential outcomes, nothing at all, a seed or two of thought, and lastly, a bounty of total understanding. I gained the seeds of thought. It doesn't so much provide answers, as bring up a relatable question for your next step. The book is quite insightful, but a great deal of it is speculative thought as in any thought process you connect or you don't.

[Ted · Rating 3 out of 5]

As I've said in the past, Jungian psychology deeply interests me due to its mythological connections to practical living, but any time I try to learn more about it, I get overwhelmed by the technical jargon. For the most part, this book kept me grounded in things I could understand, though. Although there were sections that were simply over my head, or were a little to Jungian Fanboy for me (seriously, the writers are really into Carl Jung). And since psychology is always a developing field, I constantly had a question if any or all of the material covered in the book was still relevant.

Aside from that, the book was enlightening and affirming, much like the first book in the series. It provided a helpful road map to personal improvement, and I overall just felt good and safe reading it. I've got ideas and plans for how I can develop myself, and I have names for the feelings, desires, and impulses I have.

[Jinan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“In the absence of The King, the Warrior becomes a mercenary, the Magician becomes a sophist (able to argue any position and believing in none), and the Lover becomes an addict.”

Jungian storytelling is one of my favorite approaches to describing complex and abstract concepts. A modern extension of an ancient art turned into a science of sorts, the major enhancements accounting to the western/abrahamic cultural elements of today.

And Robert Moore's exploration and organization of archetypes one of my favourite explorations of Jungian literature. This particular work explores its namesake King archetype, drawing parallels between cultural images of sacred Kings or King-Gods, historical and mythological patterns. Between imagination and action, Moore asks the lads to wield their own scepter, dream boldly, and turn those dreams into reality.

[Shriyansi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possibly, I’d have liked it more if I were male. Clearly, a male centred gaze here, and oh, the self aggrandisement (gag).

Clearly, there are things here to learn from, but they are few and far between. The thinking is both dated and at times, clearly flawed. Would I recommend this book? No. I would recommend the audiobook though, especially while you cook or do something that takes a chunk of your attention. That way, you won’t shake your fist at it too much and still tune in to the good bits (you’ll know: your attention won’t wander 😊).

3 stars, mostly for effort.

[MG · Rating 3 out of 5]

I find their paradigm for a healthy male psyche--a balance of king, warrior, lover, magician--very helpful (which is laid out in their book KING, WARRIOR, MAGICIAN, LOVER), but I found this book too general, providing little guidance for how we attain this wholeness. Plus they talk a lot about the ideals of these archetypes without really explaining the negative power of the Shadow that so often derails our best efforts. They quote Niebuhr claiming that goodness and power cannot dwell together in the same soul, with the authors here being more optimistic. Life seems to lean toward Niebuhr.

[Lawrence J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would add this book to the must read list for any man. Some points may be a bit datedl and the authors spend a bit more time on psychological ideas and discussion of culture than I would prefer, but the meat of the text is quite good. The idea of "generative men" and the discussions in the context of the King, Warrior, Magician, and Lover are energizing. A discussion of the kind of men we aspire to be. Whole, unassailable, wise, and loving men generously building for ourselves, our family, and society as a whole - in a word, generative.

[Mason Hardman · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has some dated gender theory. And some history wrong, regarding judaism. But that’s just a Jungian thing. I feel the alpha male stuff to be messy to base a on theory; it’s all over the place. The alpha wolf has been debunked. And primates have it, but it seems to be more of a culture thing, idk. I need to look into it more. Exploring the King archetype was interesting and useful for maybe developing my thoughts on psychology.

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some very useful thoughts mixed with unfortunate levels of gender overartachment and reference to a need to buy the authors' (now hard to find and put of print) other books to fully integrate the personality.

If you have the energy to read beyond the biases there's a lot here, but there are definite White Cishet Colonizer issues in the presentation.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A rare and obscure find worth reviving. Just the 6 page section on the definition of "generative man" alone is worth tracking down this book to read. This also really expounds on the ideas outlined in "KWML" by Moore and Gillette, which is the book that got me to this one.

[Colin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too much 'what' and not enough 'how'.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another look at actual masculinity and not the social definition.

[Rodrigo Flamenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected a bit more of actionable practices but still helps a lot to understand the archetype on a deeper level.

[Joshua · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting ideas but did not go into nearly enough depth.

[Nathan Peavey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. Read and now rereading.

[Jacob]

interesting insight into the archetypes and would love to find the other 3 books by Robert L. Moore but they seem to be very hard to come by

[Vinaykumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not entirely familiar with all aspects of Carl Jung's psychoanalytic framework. Enjoyed the book and the points made using and extending Erik Erikson's 'generative man'.