Book SummaryKing, Warrior, Magician, Lover, by Douglas Gillette and Robert L. Moore

1-Page Summary1-Page Book Summary of King, Warrior, Magician, Lover

Are modern men unstable and abusive compared to their ancestors? Robert Moore and Douglas Gillette say the answer is yes, and in King, Warrior, Magician, Lover they explain why it’s happening. Drawing on Carl Jung’s theory of personality archetypes, along with their own observations about modern society, Moore and Gillette explore why men today aren’t in tune with their masculinity and how that affects their behavior.

Moore (1942-2016) was a psychotherapist and therapist consultant who specialized in Jungian psychology. Though he worked with people of all genders, Moore was best known for his research on male psychology and masculine gender identity—much of which he presents in King, Warrior, Magician, Lover. He was also the Distinguished Service Professor of Psychology, Psychoanalysis and Spirituality at the Chicago Theological Seminary, as well as cofounder and Director of Research at the [Chicago Center for...

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover Summary Introduction: Healthy Masculinity in Decline

Moore and Gillette begin by saying that western society (meaning the US and western Europe) is suffering from the decline of healthy, mature masculinity. It’s being replaced with various forms of immature and abusive masculinity. This unhealthy masculinity takes various forms: It can be seen in weak and passive men, but also in the fact that modern society is run largely by angry, violent, domineering men.

(Shortform note: King, Warrior, Magician, Lover was published in 1990, and so it uses some outdated terms and ideas about gender. Most notably, Moore and Gillette equate sex with gender: They use “boy” and “man” to refer to all people assigned male at birth, along with “girl” and “woman” to describe all people assigned female at birth. This practice is no longer widely accepted in psychology. The authors also don’t mention other gender identities, such as people who are nonbinary. However, to stay consistent with the source material, this guide will continue to use Moore and Gillette’s terminology.)

The authors...

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover Summary The King: Order and Judgment

The first of the four masculine ideals is the King. According to the authors, this is the part of the psyche that maintains mental balance and stability; it’s a person’s internal voice of reason. Someone with a healthy King aspect can stay calm and confident, and make good decisions in stressful situations.

When properly developed, the King keeps the other personality aspects in check and unleashes them only when appropriate. For instance, when it’s time to stop thinking and start acting, the King allows a man to rein in his Magician aspect and bring his Warrior aspect to the fore.

(Shortform note: As the “ruler” of the psyche, the King aspect could be seen as representing executive functions: a person’s ability to make decisions and plans, then carry them out. The term executive functions brings to mind the image of a CEO running his company—or, in this case, a king ruling his kingdom.)

The authors say that in addition to maintaining order and making rational decisions, the King is responsible for passing judgment on others. **This means that a good King recognizes and...

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover Summary The Warrior: Action, Discipline, and Devotion

Whereas the King is the leader of a man’s psyche, the Warrior is the part that gets things done. Phrased differently, the King gives commands and the Warrior carries them out.

However, Moore and Gillette say that the Warrior aspect is about much more than just turning decisions into actions. The Warrior—like the idealized knights in King Arthur’s legends—is a symbol of discipline, strength, skill, and loyalty.

The authors explain that, when a man has a well developed Warrior aspect, his first concerns are always self-discipline and self-control. This is because the greatest Warriors are those who master their own minds; by doing so, they develop the will, focus, and courage to accomplish incredible things. Therefore, someone with a strong Warrior aspect can act quickly and decisively, without getting distracted by stray thoughts or feelings.

Although he’s not a warrior in the usual sense, the legend of the Buddha gives an excellent example of this aspect: The Buddha achieved such perfect mastery over himself that he was able to defeat an evil god named Mara. This god had great powers of illusion and temptation, but the Buddha maintained control of his mind, and so he...

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover Summary The Magician: Knowledge and Wisdom

The Magician aspect is, in a way, the polar opposite of the Warrior. Moore and Gillette explain that the Magician is the deeply intellectual part of the psyche: It studies, learns, and seeks to understand obscure and complex subjects. This aspect is called the Magician because it grants insights and abilities that can seem supernatural—for instance, a skilled computer programmer could design software tools that boost his productivity to levels that other people would think are impossible.

The Magician’s drive for understanding also includes understanding people, including the person whose psyche it’s a part of. It’s the part of the mind that analyzes people’s behavior and tries to discern their real intentions and motivations. As such, the Magician is a person’s internal lie detector and moral compass.

(Shortform note: Picking up on someone’s intentions and motivations is often a matter of reading their body language and other contextual clues. Most people do this naturally to some extent, but it’s also a skill that can be learned and honed. In The Dictionary of Body Language, former FBI agent Joe...

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover Summary The Lover: Desire, Passion, and Joy

All of the previous aspects were concerned with various kinds of control: control over oneself, control over one’s surroundings, or both. The Lover is the opposite—it’s the part of the psyche that wants to unrestrainedly enjoy all the pleasures that life has to offer.

Moore and Gillette say this aspect is also unique because it’s motivated by emotions, rather than by intellect. The Lover fuels a person’s feelings of vigor, passion, and joy. It also drives him to fulfill his various needs and desires; this includes biological urges like food and sex, but also less tangible cravings such as joy, love, and a sense of purpose. Therefore, someone under the Lover’s influence wants to explore and experience as much as he can because he’s looking for ways to satisfy those desires.

(Shortform note: In neurological terms, many of the Lover’s functions are explained by the chemical [restricted term]. In The Molecule of More, the authors explain that [restricted term] motivates people to [seek out new experiences and to pursue the...

King, Warrior, Magician, Lover Summary Healthy Masculinity Requires Balance and Humility

Now that we’ve discussed the four masculine ideals, along with their underdeveloped and imbalanced forms, we’ll end by briefly discussing how men can reconnect with their masculinity in mature and healthy ways.

Moore and Gillette say, first of all, that the King, the Warrior, the Magician, and the Lover help to balance each other. This means that, when one aspect of a man’s psyche has become imbalanced, the solution is often to engage other aspects to bring it back into alignment. For example, we’ve already discussed how the Hedonist can emerge when the other three aspects don’t set strong boundaries for the Lover. The reverse is also true: the Lover’s empathy prevents aspects like the Oppressor and the Zealot from taking control.

The authors also say that one of the keys to healthy masculinity is being humble: A mature man admits when something’s wrong with him and takes action to fix the problem. This is crucial because nobody has a perfectly healthy psyche, and everyone’s aspects become imbalanced at times. Therefore, the...

Shortform Exercise: Think About How You Think

Consider how Moore’s and Gillette’s ideas about the male psyche and healthy masculinity present themselves in your life.

Although King, Warrior, Magician, Lover was written with adult men in mind, you can gain insights from these questions regardless of your age or gender identity.

Which of the aspects that we’ve discussed (King, Warrior, Magician, and Lover) did you most strongly identify with? Does one of the four seem to be especially dominant in your personality?