Gary L. Malone, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, and Susan Mary Malone, author of the novel By the Book, say in Five Keys for Understanding Men: A Woman's Guide that they will

"unveil the five hidden keys to the male mind... you can understand (and deal with) over eighty percent of a man's behavior as well as decipher the motivation behind it."

• attachment and loss (oral);
• mastery (anal);
• competency (narcissism) and fear of castration (phallic);
• guilt (Oedipal);
• male bonding (latency) and sex (genital)

All but one chapter ends with a set of questions and answers, for example p. 51's

"Question: I give my husband everything I can -- love, comfort, food -- and he seems appreciative. When it's 'my time' in the bedroom, he seems like a little boy! I'm frustrated.

Answer: Infantilizing a man will encourage him to behave like an infant. Have reasonable, adult expectations of him (even in bed), and don't let your 'need to nurture' take away his manhood."

The authors warn of toxic males who may be unable to make healthy mates (e.g., chemically dependent, sociopaths, sex perverts, pedophiles, homosexuals or bisexuals). They lay out specific cautions to consider in any new or serious relationship. One can only wonder how these keys for understanding interact with the multiple realities of dating, mate assessment, love, and social selection processes. The personal resources needed and introspection required to make "wise choices" in emergent relationships make self-analysis a difficult, but worthwhile goal. The authors, acutely aware of human limitations, go beyond the book's initial goal to repeatedly assert that abused women should get out of conflicted relationships early. They urge men and women at any age to deal with unresolved conflicts and relationship issues by using appropriate, professional treatment.

The reviewer recommends Five Keys for Understanding Men: A Women's Guide for any one willing to do the moral inventory, then develop the skills needed to cut through denial, guilt, and fear to learn how to manage, resolve, or leave an abusive and otherwise failing relationship.