As to where this poor self-image comes from, well, I could write volumes on this. But here is a summary, and I will try to be brief:
a) alcoholic, abusive father, who committed suicide when I was growing up; b) weak, co-dependent mother, who enabled my father's behavior almost to the very end; c) impoverished background - my parents were never able to own their own home, for numerous reasons, see point a; d) Because of my impoverished background, and other reason, I was the school punching bag when I was growing up; e) women have always disliked me. For this reason, my love live and sex life have always been pathetic. I was virgin until age 23. My wife is the only woman I have ever had relations with. And she would only have sex with me for the first 4 years of our marriage.
So to summarize the situation, I suffer from a whole series of emotional problems, that make me extremely passive and fearful.
Another poster has told me to start acting like a man, and start being a leader - an alpha male, to use his terminology. In order to be that, I would need to become something I am not, and have never been. In fact, this would require me to change my personality entirely - to almost become someone else.
Is that what is required? Do I need to act like Dr. Jeckyl, and find the potion that transforms me into Mr. Hyde?
