ChinPsy

“This is the first of four articles about men. It was difficult to write, but here it is. The article focuses on the man and his main preoccupations in life. As you already know men are extremely sexually focused; this article will explain why. The angle of the article is a combination between Chinese medicine, Chinese psychology and Western science. Remember the article is provocative to stimulate growth. The references will be published on the seminars “Men and TCM”.

Welcome to read The user manual for Men part 1. Enjoy.”

Nils Volden

Men in Chinese medicine

The article about women became eight articles, and the one about men became half de size; does this make men half as complex? Men are generally not perceived as complex as women. Let us take a closer look at the man and his characteristics. As women, men also have their distinct brain structure and their own hormonal cycle. We have seen that women become colored by their hormones. Men are exactly the same. Their reality and life are happening in the shadow of their hormones and brain structure. Please read the eight articles about women to completely enjoy this article about men.

From the very beginning we have to understand that women have two X chromosomes (XX) and men have one X and one Y chromosome (XY); the name has nothing to do with the shape. The Y chromosome is one of two sex chromosomes, but it is this one that is used for determining gender. The Y chromosome will stimulate the development of testicles; Yang gender characteristics. Research has shown us that the Y chromosome is transmitted from the father to his son; Yang to Yang. About 166 million years ago we find the XY gender determination system evolves. Most of the Y chromosome is not altered in the person and passes almost intact to the next generation. It is proposed that the Y chromosome have lost one gene since we separated from the rhesus macaque about 25.000.000 years ago. The Y chromosome stores 1% of all DNA in a male cell. When a man lack the Y chromosome in more than 18% of the red blood cells we might predict that he will die 5.5 years before the estimated average living age, and he will have up to 200% more chance for certain types of cancer. Telling us that the “male chromosome” have some type of connection to our biology and out predictable faith. In Chinese medicine chromosomes are directly related to our congenital essence and Li.

An important event in a boy’s life is the prenatal testosterone. 8 weeks after conception we find the testicles in the young male fetus start to produce testosterone; testosterone will yanginize the brain. His brain will become totally changed after this hormonal yang marinade. . The infantile puberty starts around the time of birth and lasts 9 months in boys and 24 months in girls; before entering the juvenile pause.  Modern science has shown us that hormones have a great influence on us. Men are dominated by the yang hormones testosterone, ADH and MIS (Müllerian inhibiting substance), while women are dominated by the yin hormones estrogen, progesterone and oxytocine. The male hormones give preference to typical yang features such as sexual drive, spatial information and problem solving of emotional problems. Compared to a woman we find men having 250% more sexual activities in the brain than women. A man is closer related to an elevated kidney Yang activity and women closer related to an elevated kidney Yin activity.  A masculine brain, scan the world for sexual opportunities 24 hours a day. It is not of importance that he is in love or even interested; his subconscious is still scanning and scanning, 搜索 sōu​suǒ as we say within Chinese psychology. Most active in this is said to be the visual cortex, intimated connected to liver zang. He looks and looks; searches for opportunities. This is not the same as he want this opportunities or is aware of himself searching. It does not mean that he is unfaithful or wants to be unfaithful in any way. Remember that this does not indicate in any way that he is really searching for another new/ extra relationship or a new wife. This is his genetics or congenital essence playing his subconscious mind. He is made like this and he is unaware of it happening. Nothing will happen, because this is not his will; it is only his eyes. He searches through looking at women and their curves. Then he moves on, looking on others. He is NOT flirting or having affairs with these women. 目成 mù​chéng, flirting is something completely different for a man. He is just trapped in an evolutionary loop. The congenital essence or Li activates liver zang to start searching for a future mother to his children. As a result he will start searching for one. His eyes scan the outside world. If he is single and really searching for a partner he will put incoming information into the normal processing in the mental model, but if he is occupied in a relation all the information relation to the woman will be discarded – automatically.

The penis is often (with a smile) said to have its own mind and will, and perhaps it has. When emotions start moving, he start to search for a solution for the problems, making the mental model work searching for solutions in Zhi (the mental aspect of kidney zang) based on the projects formulated in Hun (the mental aspect of  liver zang). Personal emotions might create quite creative and strange ways of thinking due to its movement of the psychic qi; or internal wind. Most visible are his problem solving for others, or Wai mental work; external thinking. If a situation occurs in others life he will immediately start solving it, searching for a solution. The stronger the psychic qi in Hun is, the harder he will search for solutions and create plans. A well-functioning man will follow his 道 Dào or Tao, the road, towards a solution. He will not be satisfied only speaking loosely about it, he want to complete the cycle – to solve; his Shen need to make a solution. Then and only then he will feel at ease. He does not feel comfortable when women start speaking about what they feel their emotions without moving forward; he goes straight to the core and tries to solve; nothing more and nothing less. We need to understand the two steps in male brain development/ programing. Step one: Testosterone is secreted from the testicles in week 8 to 18 of pregnancy; creating a masculine brain. Step two: The rest of the pregnancy we find the levels of MIS (Müllerian inhibiting substance) increase. For many MIS is known as AMH (Anti-Müllerian hormone). We find MIS present in both genders. The actual function of MIS is to cause an irreversible regression in the Müllerian ducts (Paramesonephric ducts). If MIS is not produced in the Sertoli cells in the testis, we find a development of Müllerian ducts and the Wolffian ducts (responsible for male reproduction parts) will stop existing. The production of MIS is at its highest in childhood, and reduces from puberty. The presence of MIS (low in men, and high in women) will determine the onset of puberty. The key here are the development of the Müllerian ducts or not. Müllerian ducts are ducts in the embryo that run down the urogenital ridge. If freely developed we find the Müllerian ducts form the uttering tubes, uterus, cervix and the upper part of vagina. When the Müllerian ducts are exposed to MIS they stop to exist, and female genitals will not develop. Congenital essence is the origin to both the Yin – and Yang aspects in out body. Testosterone creates Yang aspects in the male fetus – activating the masculine brain. MIS creates the Yin aspects in the male fetus – the creation of the male genitals. At the same time a lack of testosterone will create predominant Yin aspects in the male fetus – maintaining a more feminine brain, and a lack of MIS will create severe problems in the development of the male genitals.

Yang Wood – The first years

The Yang Wood stage is the first eight years in a boy’s life. The first two years are the Yang/ Yang phase, followed by two years in a neutral Yang phase, two years in a neutral Yin phase, and the last two years is the Yin/ Yin phase. Girls follow a similar cycle; seven years instead of eight.

The male Yang brain has two major aspects associated with a super active liver zang. Liver zang are intimately related to the brains control of both his muscular actions and aggression; free flow of liver qi mean no problem, and liver qi stagnation gives this problems. Muscular control is a Liver zang issue within Chinese medicine. If we speak about the muscular quality we speak about a Spleen zang. With aggression we do not directly think about being upsets and to fight. We think about the word “aggression” as a term for protection of his territory and family. A man is programmed from his congenital essence to fight and give his life (if needed) to protect his offspring and fertile wife. Normally he will not back down from a fight over something he feels is his. This means that he is protective – 保护性 Bǎohùxìng. After the agricultural revolution we find this aspect move from more intimate aspects to material aspects. The second aspect connected to aggression is hierarchy – 阶层 Jiēcéng. Men like authority as a parameter to create hierarchies. The more he gets up in the system the better. The reason for the extraordinary interest in climbing in Jieceng (hierarchy) are the dream to be the Alpha-male; “all men’s wet dream”. To increase in the system to get higher ranks men can do incredible things as you will understand through this article. Aggression in men is normally connected to his amygdala. Of course, just to have mentioned it, when a man get upset for something it lasts longer and he stays higher than a woman. Men are aggressive or act dominant in regard of two basic themes Baohuxing (protectiveness) and Jieceng (Hierarchy). This is perhaps the most important aspect in a man women search for; the man’s socioeconomic level. He will prove that he is strong on this area through playing it hard.

Chinese psychology states that or brain got a strong 可塑性 Kěsùxìng or plasticity. Kesuxing mean that the brain and thereby our Shen changes over time; it is never static and unchangeable. It is correct to state that Shen is Yin Wind. A Yin Wind changes Shen slowly in the speed of maturation. This Yin Wind is not related to its function or the Yang aspect of Shen, but rather the Yin aspect the root of Shen. When thinking on the mind we need to remember the inner dynamic that exist there in; Shen Yang Wind dynamics. We find Kesuxing, plasticity mainly govern by external internal aspects. Internally we find mainly congenital essence represented by its lifelong Yin effect on the hormonal changes and externally mainly the acquired cultural aspects. Something we might associate with the Li caused Qi situation. Kesuxing is initiated and most manifest in the Yang wood period, but the Yin Wind will continue with different intensity during the complete lifespan of the person.

The period of Yang wood at the age of 0-8 years mark the entrance to enormous growth and development in a boy, mentally as physically. Many aspects with enormous impact in the boy will start here. Boys might be seen through a filter of the Roun personality in this time frame. Men are required to manifest Yang features as to be strong and brave in all situations and at all times. They need to be protective, proactive and territorial; in short Yang. On top of this they need to be independent; the ultimate Yang feature. If something of this Yang features is missing they become less desirable for the women. Women will stop considering them as mating material and just see them as friends; Yin. Men will find them weak and inferior, Yin; something that results in a lower social rating. Our congenital essence programs us how to act in given situations. It gives us a direction and purpose in life; to reproduce. A boy needs to move, he need to act Yang. For him movement is the essence of life – Life is Wind; Yang. Boys that have problems with moderating their Yang might be seen as hyperactive by outsiders. Hyperactivity is more common to observe among boys than girls. On the other side if normal boy movement does not exists the boy will feel bad. He needs to externalize his Yang. If Yang stays inside he will suffer of internal restlessness. In this life phase the boy need Wai (external) Yang and Nei (internal) Yin, and not Wai Yin and Nei Yang. Movement is intimately related to the wood aspect and Yang that is why we name this phase Yang wood. Wood is intimately related to Wind and thereby also movement. A Yang wind is a strong force of transformation and change. Congenital essence creates the Wind disposition in the boy, forcing him to move, to be attracted to movement and to experience movement as vital for life. Boys become Yang, rough and moving. Girls on the other hand become Yin, delicate and communicating. The genders are congenitally adjusted to become Yang and Yin.

Girls want eye contact, but boys do not like it. In Chinese medicine we find the eyes related to liver zang and thereby the Wood element. Girls cant the contact and the information interexchange eye contact give. That interexchange is one of the worst things a boy can experience. He want to hide and be visible through his actions his wind and Yang, not through his eyes. Eyes disclose the soul, Shen that constitutes showing weakness. Boys want to see not be seen; “info in” versus “info out”.  Girls are Yin and boys Yang. The focus is different. Of course the girls want to see the eyes of the boy to know who he is. If she is going to initiate a relation with this boy she wants all information; the eyes are a well of information. Her Zhi (the mental aspect of spleen zang) is working overtime in the moment she got access to the eyes of a boy. Girls like analyzing faces of others, to search for the emotion behind the expression ever since their estrogen levels increased in the infantile puberty at the age of 0-2.5 years. Boys on the other hand search for movement and shapes. Two elements intimately related to liver zang. Liver zang dominates muscles and tendons and thereby also movement. Liver zang opens in the eyes and thereby is also related to visual gathering of information related to spatiality. The time used for focusing on something is different. Girls take their time when observing (Yin), but boys are more quick and efficient (Yang). If a boy steers at something it is simply because he is harvesting a lot of information and not because he is interested (!). Going back to the observation of face in others, girls like it and they want to do it as much and as long as possible, but boys want to look away and to break eye contact as soon as possible. It is in the nature of Yin to search for the inner, and in the nature of Yang to hide the inner. That is the basis of girls trying to read the soul and boys hiding it.

The first year of life we say that the boy is living in the infantile puberty. A period with some very interesting aspects appears here. First we find the testosterone levels in a boy to be as high as in an adult man! All this testosterone is reprogramming the brain and stimulates to muscular growth. Muscular growth is intimately related to spleen zang and its influence on the quality of the muscles. A spleen yin xu will give poorer muscular quality, making testosterone (the classical Yang hormone) stimulate spleen Yang to absorb more Yong qi (nutrients) and thereby creating more acquired essence to build a more muscular mass. Over time his motoric skills become fine-tuned with more muscular mass and better control over the muscles. After the first year or so we find the testosterone levels drop, but MIS continues high. Boys will stay in low testosterone and high MIS for a long period; normally from one year of age until 10 years. This 9 years period is called juvenile-pause. The main feature in the boy in this timeframe is physical growth and development, but we also find a visible development of Yang, the distinct masculine interest in things and an increased risk taking. Warning signs from adults are frequently ignored by the youngster. The inborn 固执 Gùzhí, stubbornness in Yang start to flourish in this period; he want to stay on his own legs. It is like qi do not circulate or want to move on some distinct areas.

Boys and men are guided by 奖励 Jiǎnglì rewards. If they feel like gaining something they tend to repeat that distinct action more frequent. Our reward center in the boys brain, Shen Jiangli become activated when they masturbate; when qi starts to circulate in Shen Jiangli we find masturbation become important in the boy’s life. Shen Jiangli creates a link between an action that create ejaculation (future offspring) and wellbeing. The connection is positively enhanced every time he masturbates. His congenital essence is preparing him to become a father, through conditioning him to have sex in the future and not least to actively search sexual relations. Chinese language normally translate masturbation as 自慰 Zìwèi Self comfort. Ziwei indicates that the person do this to feel better – a positive stimulation of the body. A boy does not masturbate because he chooses to. He does it because he is genetically programmed to do it in his congenital essence, and that it makes him feel good. Masturbation is practiced in all cultures all around the world. It is a universal activity in private surroundings. Sometimes we find young boys and girls rubbing their genitals directly and indirectly to gain the pleasure this type of stimulation give. It is not wrong or sick to masturbate, but it culturally normally belongs to the private sphere. The masturbating child should be encouraged to practice in a private sphere.

When children are playing we observe distinct differences between girls and boys. Boys like Yang: action, movement and fighting. Girls like Yin: to play familiar activities. Girls train on starting uprelations, sit correctly, speak correctly, do “whatever” correctly and conversation, conversation, conversation and again conversation. They drill this activity day in and day out for years something that makes girls 2000% more likely to stop a game and restart it than boys. Of the simple reason, starting a game is one of the most important aspects with the female game; Yang in Yin. Chinese psychology calls this phenomenon for 重启 Chóngqǐ double beginning or restarting. When having problems in marital relations women tend to want to start again, but men tend to be more reluctant with that. Boys do not stop a game in the middle; unthinkable. For boys the most important is to complete something. 完全 Wánquán is the concept of completing with the whole intact. Boys in special train to complete something and girls to start, making girls Chongqi (restart) and boys Wanquan (complete). We might see this action of struggling to complete something as hard and exhausting; Yang consuming. We might say that the female way of beginning again to the end of time to be enormously static; Yin creating. This masculine Wanquan action among boys might be interpreted as stubborn, just as the feminine Chongqi action among girls might be interpreted as flexible. Wanquang is not stubborn and Chongqi is not flexible. They both focus on one of their core issues; to start and to finish. Of the simple reason this is core issues for their gender. Children that are not allowed to train this skill sufficient in their childhood might suffer consequences later in life due to lack of core skills.

While trying to understand the boy we need to remember the aggressive Yang component in the male gender. The preference to a boy (toys) are connected to the elevated levels of testosterone and very little to culture and parenting. A boy-toy is a toy that stimulates movement, action and general Yang factors. Boys want to move and to win; they search for Wind. Most boys would break the rules if that made them avoid losing. 获胜 Huòshèng winning is one of the cornerstones in the male mind. The winner is the alpha in that given area, and a stigma as alpha tends to transmit itself onto other areas. Huosheng one place is likely to create an impression of being Huosheng on other areas. The more Huosheng the more chances to be considered as the alpha male 阿尔法男性 Aerfa nanxing (Alpha male), 甲郎 Jialang (First official), 雄性领袖 Xiongxing lingxiu (male leader) or 大男子 Dananzi (Big man); most common Jialang. In short, the boy wants to become the leader of the pack. It does not matter much what “pack” is, he wants to be number one.

Boys tend to practice the classical Yang concept of 挑战自我 Tiaozhan ziwo (Challenge self), to push their own limits, and discover the world through pushing limits; through moving – Wind. Girls are 600% less interested in fighting while playing; they want peace and harmony. Boys really enjoy pushing their limits and searching for the most extreme they can do with their bodies; their physical abilities and – boundaries. While pushing the limits, Tiaozhan ziwo, they get an increased excretion of Dopamine. Dopamine gives a sensation of Jiǎnglì – reward. When a boy faces his personal limits he gets a sensation of Jiangli, just as when he was masturbating. Shen likes it, the brain likes it and the brain wants to copy the causing behavior; to get even more dopamine. This copying behavior follows the experienced positive feeling; exactly the same that happened when he continued to masturbate. The boy will search for aspects that trig a sensation of Jiangli. To do this they copy or mirror other male role models. Jialang, the Alpha is regarded as the holder of the top-behavior and most people copy him. As Jialang attracts the best female and the other male tries to please him we find this to be an attractive place to be. Boys will push limits where limits are to be tested. For example, in discussions and when insulting, boys need to touch a little; sometimes they might touch too much. Every time limits are reached and passed the boys experiences a dopamine rush and really enjoys the situation. Jialang occurs only when he stay on the safe side of the limit, meaning that he will not experience pleasure and reward if he passes to the dark side of the limit. Jiangli (reward) is something that Shen produces. Making this more an activation of Shen and programming of Yang Shen, more than a need to do physical things. It is sufficient for the boy to think about Wind, the movement, to get the dopamine award; Jiangli. Internal wind equals external wind in this regard. Think about the results of mental training vs. physical training on performance.

自我 Zìwǒ, all average boys focus on them self, other boys and just a little on girls. They are guided by Ziwo, a self-focus, as a narcissistic person, but they are not narcissists. Just think about it, who is the biggest threat to a man? Other men, making him focus on himself and other men. In the future he needs to compete against them to win the best women to get the best congenital essence to his offspring. This is the learning stage where boys try to understand others and to place himself as Jialang (Alpha); some boys want to be firefighters, but all boys want to be an Alpha male. Giving the boy three focus areas: first exploring and improving himself, second monitoring other boys, and third with time getting an increased interest for women.

One of the main training fields is TERRITORIAL behavior; 在领土行为 Zài lǐngtǔ xíngwéi (exist territorial action). The boys scream: “This is mine!” He is trying to make an important stand about what is his and that he protects his things. He knows that it is not really important, but he needs to signal to others (and himself) that he is territorial. A territorial person tend to be respected more than others and to be more attractive for women. If he chooses not to act territorial he will project himself as weak and a victim to others. Girls tend to think that boys play brutal and stupid, but they notice boys that have a strong territorial behavior- the protectors and adore them. Girls want protectors. Sometimes we might see this go out of hand when boys create hassle for others as a type of bulling as they arrange their pecking order, hierarchy or 阶层 Jiēcéng. Positioning of boys is ultimately a question of dominance and searching dominance. Often we find manifestation of dominance in small fights. When boys gather they first arrange Jieceng (the hierarchy), then they start playing. It is important to understand that ranking, their Jieceng is of outmost importance for all boys; ALL. The person that stands a fight is more likely to be high in the hierarchy, and the winner is often Jialang, the Alpha-male. Today we know that the acquired rank at the age of 6 will most likely stick until he is more than 15 years old. Low ranks stay low ranks, and high ranks stay high ranks. Sometimes boys use other measures to increase in rank or to secure a safe place in a rank. This might be done through bulling, bribes, extraordinary abilities or entering the strong group. The survival of a boy goes through the understanding of the male hierarchy. When he enters the military service or martial arts, he will feel very comfortable with rank systems and with the possibility to grow in rank. The struggle to achieve and maintain an acceptable Jieceng depends on the boy’s ability to use his Yang strategies, manifest his Wind and show aspects of Roun character.

Liver zang are related to our spatial abilities, and in the Yang Wood period we find boys develop strongly in exactly that area. Their spatial abilities develop so strong that girls will never be able to do the same. Already from the age of five we find boys superior to girls in their abilities to see multi-dimensions; the ultimate liver zang ability. Girls are much better than in separating colors and in design, but to experience (more than to understand) dimensions and place things in different dimensions they are “lost”. For example boys might be great in conceptual math, but they aren’t capable to explain what they did. They stand there moving their hands and twist their body trying to explain the solution; they will seldom manage because this is the way boys learn and store information as Wind. The central element in learning for a boy is embodied cognition. This is including physical aspects of the body into learning; simply the liver aspect of Yang Wood – Wind and movement.  When he thinks about jumping, his brain actually connects to the act of jumping. Whatever he think about, say or do his brain connect physically. Shen experiences the Wind like he is jumping up and down, but he is standing 100% still. Boys use their physical body to learn language. Just remember that movement, Wind, are one of the core aspects in the little man. Before Hun sends its information to Po we discover mental calculations, this is the preparation of psychic qi for action; pre-action. We normally call this the small mental model, since it is the interference of Shen in Hun that prepares the Yang in this Yang wood period. Beside this we observe that Po is more active than Hun. The life of a boy is physical and not much mental. He is filled with Yang and Wind in a Wai (external) level. In a Nei (internal) level we find him more Yin; girls are more Yang on a Nei level. The conclusion is that in boys we find Po develop before Hun, or faster to be more correct. We need to be aware of the fact that liver zang is intimately related to the personality Roun. Liver zang is the physical aspect and Roun the more mental aspect. In the intersection between this two we find the preparation for physical activity and distinct extrovert and experimental mental aspects. In Yang Wood phase the person will develop aspects of liver zang physical and mentally.

Yang Fire – The puberty years

The Yang Fire stage is the next eight years after the Yang Wood stage in a boy’s life. The period of Yang Fire at the age of 8 to 16 years marks both the preparations for puberty and the entrance to puberty. Juvenile pause stops around the age of 11; in the middle of Yang Fire. This marks the final entrance to puberty, and with that an increase in testosterone levels; the male Yang hormone/ sex hormone. One of the first signs is the activation of the sweat glands. From not secreting more than pure water the boys start secreting androstenedione (a male pheromone). Within Chinese medicine we connect the skin with its sweat glands to lung zang. Lung zang is the organ that is related to Po. The manifestation of smelling sweat is often taken as an evidence for the termination of Yang Wood stage. Smelling sweat is within Chinese medicine sometimes characterized as an accumulation of heat in liver – and heart zang. It is two main types Yin xu (transparent) and damp heat (yellowish). Remember that sweat normally do not smell anything! It is bacteria that live in the skin that causes the sweat to start smelling. Just think about what special sweat glands, heat and moister that exist in the armpits does for the bacteria and the smell. Depending on congenital reasons we might find different predispositions for sweating. The entrance of Yang Fire is the activation of the heart zang system and the transition from the liver zang system often manifested through sweat; of course this is hormonally dependent.

We also observe in this transition a change in attitude towards girls, or more correctly the female body and sexuality. Intellectually boys do not find greater interest in girls, but physically we find a great interest occur on the field. It is important to understand that testosterone wakes up the male body, and slowly it transforms the body to prepare itself to reproduce. Aspects that have been “sleeping” during the infantile pause wake up. The aspect of Wind (movement) starts to grow to an astronomical size. Yang factors in the form as action and risk taking rapidly become more important for the growing boy. The focus is firmly on previous aspects as hierarchy, territory and exploration. To state his territory he might become aggressive (Liver fire), and to state dominance he might disobey his parents (Yang shi state). This is a young little man on the point to settle down and make his own family. Of course, we speak about a process that might take 10 more years or so; do not forget that. The brain has to swim in a marinade of testosterone for quite a while for the adult male brain to become totally modified; a 2000% increase in testosterone. Between the age of 9 and 15 we find Shen become activated. Shen is the mental aspect of heart zang. Heart zang are related to Fire and Yang Fire. His adult brain wake up due to the testosterone rush, and girls permanently enter his perception of reality.

The main indicators of the male puberty are more than pimples and sweaty arm pits. The sweat we have covered earlier, but pimples. Within Chinese medicine and its dermatology pimples is traditionally regarded as Heat in the body or Yang shi if you want. Chinese medicine also considers problem with digestion, different zang fu imbalances, and the qi circulation. Pimples might also rise from emotional problems. Still the most common way to analyze pimples is a Yang aspect afflicting the skin or more correct the pores. By some reason the pore clogs up and the canal fills with pus. Within a time we find the canal being infected by bacteria and it swells. In plain words, an exogenous pathogen factor (EPF) Heat damp enters the skin and causes a situation of Heat damp. It is very common to observe pimples in the change between Yang Wood and Yang Fire. It is like the change from physical activity to bodily heat changes a lot in the body. The skin is regarded as the most external organ in the body and thereby also the primary defense towards EPFs. Heat and moister in the skin gives the conditions for interference in the normal skin structure. Bacteria simply love this new conditions, creates smelly sweat and pimples. The most important causative factor is the Yang Fire, the heat that functions as a pathogen factor.

Already from the beginning of Yang Fire stage we find the boy starting to pull away from the common ground as his hypothalamus start growing; at the end it will be the double the size of a woman. He starts to enjoy his own space and company, meaning that he starts living inside himself in Nei (internal). He makes his own projects and feels perfectly okay with that. Remember that the Alpha male live a more solitary life than the other males. If he mangle too much with others we find his Jialang (Alpha male) position wear off on the others; they will benefit on him. The same goes for Jieceng (Hierarchy) position. If a looser is together with a person far up in the system, we will find the looser increase in level and the person up in the system sink. For the person fighting to go up in the system it is a vice choice to mangle and take the easy way to 中间 Zhōngjiān middle level, but for the person that loses ground we might consider it as a bad strategy. As a result we find the Jialang, the Alpha, live a lonely life. Boys that still are not deeply into the adult life role play, start his first steps when the testosterone levels increases. Some indicators might be that the boy physically stays in his room more than before (we do not state that he permanently stay in his room) or starting to have more secretes.

His body transforms, and we cannot ignore the fact that he is going through a masculinization process; a Yangization. His testicles grow, he get pubic -and facial hair, his voice changes, he get bigger muscles and his penis grows (also a muscle). Muscle quality is related spleen zang. As he grows he will consume more calories and have a better appetite. This boy is growing and transforming into a man in this period. To grow he needs nutrients and testosterone activates spleen Yang. In the last part of the Yang Fire period we find the biggest physical changes; the first part is characterized by different Heat symptoms. Beside growing and transforming physically we find him to use fewer words than before and that he changes from a people focus to object focus. He does not want to speak about personal issues any more, giving us some interesting new indicators of Yang Fire stage. Physical growth, reduced communication and object focus. He is growing bigger and he might become Jialang; the alpha. So, he needs to protect the alpha possibility with becoming less mangled with others.

As the levels of the Yang hormone testosterone increase in the Yang Fire period, we also find his ADH levels also increasing and with that many new interesting aspects arrives in the life of the boy. A very interesting aspect of elevated testosterone levels are 时光 Shíguāng or Time. When the level of testosterone increases we find the persons perception of Shiguang (time) change. Strictly physiologically the Yang hormone (testosterone) reset the perception of time in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the brain, making the boy both stay up – and wake up later; everything is moved an hour or two later. In Chinese medicine we analyze this as the ultimate evidence for Yang in Shen. This is considered to be a sign of the beginning to the end of Yang Fire and the transition to the beginning of the Yang Earth period. It is Shen that control the perception of time in a person. When Shen is Yanginized it is normal to observe that the subjective perception of time transforms. When Yang increases and passes Duliang (limit) we find Yang transform to Yin. When Yang move from Wai (external) to Nei (internal) we will experience a transformation of Yang to Yin; the fourth Yin/ Yang law. In young boys it is more a shift in time (to later), than a bad perception of time. Shen is Yininized by the transformation from Yang to Yin, when psychic qi moves from Wai to Nei. The Yin Shen in boys tends to have problems with the movement of psychic qi something that creates problems with Shiguang. Most visible are two factors: First, the difficulties with remembering over time, meaning the strength of memories over time. The boy starts to forget information that is not connected to something strongly impressionable. Second, information he have got from an event will be disturbed easily by others. Boy’s memories are easy to disturb and change to something else. We cannot be 100% sure that ha has is a real memory or a changed/ manipulated memory. In the hands of a strong personality we might expect a manipulated boy in the Yang Fire period. Shen is the seat of decisions, and a main target in all memory manipulations. The main problem for the boy is the circadian; his daily rhythm. His day is shifted, and he have slight problems with the explicit timing (duration of stimulus – Yang) and the implicit timing (time missing to an event – Yin); causing him to chronically arrive late at meetings, classes and whatever. His Shen has transformed into Yin in Nei (internally), and thereby creates a situation of a strong Yang xu. When we are dealing with a transformation, we need to be aware of that this is not a permanent stage. This is more a temporarily state of something. While waiting for his Yang hormone (testosterone) to calm down or normalize we will have a strange circadian. The boy will wake up late and fall asleep late.

Due to the same testosterone we also find other sleep related issues. The boys struggle to keep his information in synch in the brain, meaning that Yang in Shen have transformed in such a way that the psychic qi is not fixed. When the psychic qi is off balance we have problems managing normal mental tasks. In all brains we receive information to different times. What we see and hear is presented to our brain with a slight delay. Since what he hears and whet he sees does not reach his mind at the same time, his mind have to wait with the visual until sound reaches the mind. All brains have a 1/100 milliseconds tolerance, but some information is delayed with 1/10 of a second, meaning that your mind is processing visual information of the past with preset audio. When the Shen is in a Yang state and the psychic qi is un-rooted we find this to create a where the boy feel uncomfortable. Most visible are the increasing state of ignorance toward past information; see but do not observe, and hear but do not listen. Retrospective interpretation of visual and audio might create more problems for a teenager than we like to admit. In this age we find many boys develop problems at school related to studies and conduct. To keep the attention on visual while waiting for audio might be experienced as challenging, and even worse with a Yang charged Shen situation.

Estimating time is more difficult in this life phase, and can give collaterals in other areas. One of the most visible collateral in the Yang Fire period is the variable conscious sensation of the duration of present; specious present. Sometimes the specious present is much longer than normal, creating moments of delay of other activities. For example if you have an accident you might perceive time slow (Yin) and if you do something you like you might perceive time quick (Yang). Here we also need to remember that Po or more specific the Pro personality is intimately related to future and seeing things in the future. The experience of time is in the end a matter of circulation of Yang from Shen (Heart zang) to Po (Lung zang).

Stay tuned for the three missing parts…

The writer of this article gives seminars about Chinese medicine and Chinese psychology all over the world! Go to this page to find out how.

https://chinpsy.com/seminar