Darth Vader vs. Superman: Aggression and Intimacy in Two Preadolescent Boys' Groups

Abstract

Group work reaches out to preadolescent boys with impulse and affect regulation problems by coinciding with their natural inclination toward peer relations and mastery. In group, boys recreate their peer culture and through the use of therapist interventions modify peer relationships into viable support networks. Collectively, they stimulate biological strivings for developmental maturity. The boys motivate each other to develop observing egos and alter problematic behavior. Boys growing up without fathers benefit from a safe environment where they can develop realistic masculine identities through their identification with group norms. Research shows that an identification with a benign masculine authority is the single most significant factor in a child developing affect regulation and socialization skills.