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Despite its ambiguous status in both scientific and lay discussions of gender, the construct of masculinity has achieved a place of virtual hegemony within research and practice in the psychology of men. We argue that "masculinity" as it is currently conceptualized obscures the contingent and contextual effects of gendered social learning in men. The result is a substantive limit on prediction and influence in the scientific domain, and the risk of perpetuating essentialist discourse about gender in the public domain. Beginning with a pragmatic and functional view of theory development and research in the social sciences, we identify the eradication of gender inequality and the promotion of human well-being as core values in the psychology of men. We then show how a return to basic principles of learning can open up new ways of understanding the special case of gendered social learning in men, and also promote a social discourse in the public domain that is consistent with the core values of the field. Is "Masculinity" a Problem?: Framing the Effects of Gendered Social Learning in Men To accept the contingency of starting-points is to accept our inheritance from, and our conversation with, our fellow-humans as our only source of guidance. To attempt to evade this contingency is to hope to become a properly-programmed machine. Richard Rorty Uttering a word is like striking a note on the keyboard of the imagination. Ludwig Wittgenstein The title of this article poses a provocative triple entendre. At first glance, it is possible to answer the question, "Is masculinity a problem?", without calling into question the nature of the construct itself. Whether masculinity is conceptualized as a social role, a set of personality traits, or a conglomerate of evolved genetic mechanisms, this version of the question asks about its social consequences, good, bad, or otherwise. On second glance, it is also possible to ask what is wrong with the construct of masculinity from a more theoretical point of view. Here the question is less about tangible social consequences of a thing called masculinity, and more about the utility of different ways of conceptualizing gender for the progress of psychology and the social sciences more broadly. Finally, it is possible to ask what are the consequences for society of developing and disseminating constructs such as "masculinity" to account for gendered processes in the social world. 1 Here the focus is less on the theoretical or

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There has been limited research on interventions addressing the psychosocial barriers to men’s underutilization of formal and informal help. To address this gap in the literature, we report on the development of Gender-Based Motivational Interviewing (GBMI) for men with internalizing symptoms and present the findings of a pilot trial. GBMI is a single session of assessment and feedback that integrates gender-based and motivational interviewing principles. Community-dwelling men (N = 23) with elevated internalizing symptoms and no recent history of formal help-seeking were randomized to either GBMI or control conditions and were followed for three months. The effect of GBMI on internalizing and externalizing symptoms ranged from small to large across follow-ups. GBMI had a small to moderate effect on stigma. There was no effect on help-seeking attitudes or intentions. GBMI increased use of informal help seeking (e.g. parents and partners) and had no effect on formal help seeking. None of these findings were statistically significant. Study weaknesses included baseline differences in help-seeking variables between conditions. This initial evaluation suggested that GBMI shows promise for improving mental health functioning while further research is need to determine its effect on help-seeking.

Men are considerably less likely to seek professional and nonprofessional help for mental disorders. Prior findings indicate that adherence to masculine norms contributes to stigma about internalizing disorders and help seeking. There are currently no empirically supported interventions for increasing help seeking in men with internalizing symptoms. To address this need, we conducted a pilot study of gender-based motivational interviewing (GBMI) for men with internalizing symptoms. GBMI is a single session of assessment and feedback integrating gender-based and motivational interviewing principles (Addis, 2012). College men (N = 35) with significant internalizing symptoms and no recent help seeking were randomized to either GBMI or a no-treatment control and were followed for 2 months. GBMI had a significant effect on seeking help from parents and a trend for seeking professional help, but did not have a significant effect on seeking help from friends or partners. The size of the effect of GBMI on professional and nonprofessional help seeking ranged from small to medium. GBMI shows promise for improving men's help-seeking behaviors and warrants further development and investigation.