Signs and Symptoms of Real Men and Chronic Adolescents

As a Licensed Social Worker, I have worked over twenty years with families that are produced and raised by men, as well as women, who fit Dr. Grays definition of chronic adolescents. These men and women never quite reach legitimate, responsible adulthood. Therefore, they are almost completely dysfunctional as parents. I have seen many cases where the taxpayer supports and manages the entire family through social welfare, other public assistance, and penal institutions. I have investigated every kind of abuse from child neglect, child sexual abuse, domestic violence, to homicide. Sadly, many of the children victimized by parents who are indeed, chronic adolescents, become no more than recycled incarnations of the dysfunctional souls of their predecessors. Moreover, these children are destined to repeat the same destructive behaviors over and over allowing the cycle of pain to repeat itself generation after generation. As a result, each generation evolves more and more in its pathological propensity towards violence, murder, and mayhem. Dr. Gray has done an excellent job of identifying behavioral traits that truly separate Real Men from boys, or Chronic Adolescents, as he refers to them. Chronic adolescents are represented in both genders, all races, cultures, religions and social positions. However, his decision to address the problem as it is manifested in the African American male population is courageous, valid, and relevant; particularly because the black male has been named, an endangered species. When a society refers to a segment of its own human population as an endangered species, an alarm should sound in the minds of all human beings because we are all one species, homo sapiens, which are human beings. Therefore, if one group among us is endangered, we are all endangered. I recommend this book as a guide for every African American adolescent boy or young man who seeks to recognize what a Real Man looks, thinks, and behaves like, for every African American adolescent girl or young woman who seeks to gain knowledge and wisdom that may increase her chances of choosing Mr. Right the first time, and for anyone who would like to understand the difference between a Real Man and a Chronic Adolescent Idell Harris-Crossley, LSW