Exploring Complementarity: A Dynamic Approach to Gender Roles

Gender confusion in today’s culture might seem like a curveball, but in this episode, Dr. Greg explores the unexpected opportunity it provides for the Church—and for each of us—to deepen our understanding of what it truly means to be man and woman.

Discussed in this episode:

• Why understanding complementarity is key to healing personal and cultural wounds;
• How the relationship between man and woman provides access to the face of God;
• Why healing the wounds between men and women is essential for restoring communion with God;
• The mystery of how man and woman together image God’s love;
• How JP2's Theology of the Body revolutionizes our view of human dignity;
• Why male and female differences are essential to imaging God;
• The critical distinction between mutual self-gift and hierarchical domination in relationships;
• How original sin distorted trust between man and woman and between humanity and God;
• The role of divinization in the Christian understanding of humanity’s destiny;
• What Sr. Prudence Allen and JP2 reveal about integral sex complementarity;
• The biological, psychological, and spiritual dimensions of male and female complementarity;
• How equal dignity and differentiation coexist in the Catholic vision of gender;
• The dangers of reducing man and woman to rigid roles versus embracing integral identity;
• How historical pendulum swings between equality and differentiation have shaped gender views;
• How marriage reflects and points to the ultimate communion with God.

Resources mentioned or relevant: 

• Mulieris Dignitatem by Pope St. John Paul II
• Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Collaboration of Men and Women in the Church and in the World by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI)
• Previous episodes on gender complementarity: 
  • Episode 202: Complementarity Without The Competition: Why We Need Each Other 
  • Episode 201: Is Leadership of the Family a Man’s Job? with Special Guest Barbra Bottaro
  • Episode 200: Leaked Audio from a Groundbreaking Franciscan University Conference Keynote to Celebrate Our 200th Episode!
  • Episode 99: Diversity, Gender, and the Genius of Women, w/ Simone Rizkallah
• Flight from Woman by Karl Stern
• The Catholic Genius of Integrated Masculinity and Femininity
• Maria Fedoryka at Hildebrand Conference
• The Anti-Mary Exposed: Rescuing the Culture from Toxic Femininity by Carrie Gress
• Doctrinal Note USCCB 2023
• Female and Male He Resurrected Them edited by Jennifer Morel
• Need help? Schedule a free consultation to discuss your next best step; 
• Feeling called to help others? Learn more about our Certification program (CPMAP): CatholicPsych Model of Applied Personalism;
• Sign up for Being Human, our weekly newsletter, to stay up to date on the exciting developments at CatholicPsych;
• Visit our website to read the CatholicPsych blog, shop in the CatholicPsych bookshop, or discover other resources we have available;
• Download The Integrated App for access to free audio exercises, courses, prayer resources, and more;
• Become a member of the Integrated Life Community to get access to every course Dr. Greg has created, plus the opportunity to participate in Integrated LIVE’s - weekly, Mentor hosted Q&As covering topics like boundaries, communication, trauma, forgiveness, and more!
• Follow: 
  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CatholicPsych 
  • Instagram: @catholicpsych 
  • X: @CatholicPsych

Contact us! Have a topic or a question you would like Dr. Greg to address on the podcast? Want to give some feedback about this episode? Email us at beinghuman@catholicpsych.com - we would love to hear from you!

Rate, review, and subscribe

Please help us in our mission to integrate the Faith with Psychology by hitting subscribe and also sharing this podcast with your friends.

Please consider rating or leaving a review of our show. It helps us reach other Catholics just like you who want to become more integrated, whole, and happy human beings.

For Apple podcasts, click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate 5 stars, and choose “write a review.” Then type your sincere thoughts about the show!

If you haven’t already, make sure to subscribe so you don’t miss out on any episodes. Subscribe to the podcast now!