(Not my post btw, it was something on quora I think)

Alison Armstrong is one of the top authors at explaining the differences between men and women, and she leaves all the ideologies aside while doing it.

In her program, The Amazing Development of Men she describes men as going through four stages in life.

The first stage is the stage of the Page. This happens in boyhood. It’s where boys look up to the adventurers who are older than them and fantasize/prepare to become one later in life. They pretend to be all manner of characters, real or fantastic.

The next stage starts in the teen years and usually lasts until the early 30s (but can end as early as the mid-20s or as late as never). It’s the stage she calls the Knight. Knights are adventurous and they love fun. They seek out women that will join their fun, they work in order to have fun, and they generally just live to have fun. Most ideas about “man children” fall here. Even in later stages, a man never loses his thirst for adventure.

After Knight comes Prince, usually in the early 30s. This is the stage where a man wants to settle down and gets a strong urge to build his kingdom. An early Prince spends his time looking for where he will build his niche; a middle Prince spends huge amounts of time just working - they’re the best workers; a late Prince finds himself satisfied until he starts asking if it was all worth it. Princes either look for women in the early stage who are of a like-minded “build it with me” mentality or in the latter parts after they’ve already built it.

The last stage is King, a fully mature man. Typically men hit this stage around the early-mid 40’s. While a Prince is typically very accommodating with women, a King is not. He doesn’t depend on anyone, he’s built his kingdom, and he’s not going to tolerate the bullshit he had to when he was still building. Kings are very “my way or the highway.”

Alison often makes the recommendation that newly divorced women look for a Knight for their first relationship after the marriage. Knights are just fun. They’re focused on fun. They bring fun into the life of women without bringing commitments, seriousness, and responsibility.

Such relationships are not built to last, they’re just meant to be fun. Women seek out relationships with these kinds of guys because they’re of a like mind. They’re not looking to build a life/kingdom or else they’d search for a Prince. They’re not looking to be coddled and supplied or they’d look for a King. They’re looking for fun, so they find a Knight.