Being a Man About It: Manhood Meaning Among African American Men.

Abstract

The present study is a qualitative examination of manhood meaning among African American men. Both the narrative process and definitions assigned were examined among 152 African American men residing in 5 metropolitan areas. Participants provided written responses to an open-ended question about the meaning of manhood. A content analysis was conducted using an open coding method (A. Strauss & J. Corbin, 1990), which revealed 15 distinct categories of meaning. Responsibilityaccountability emerged as the most frequently endorsed category, with 48.7% of the respondents suggesting that manhood among this sample primarily means being responsible and accountable for one's actions, thoughts, and behaviors. Findings from the present study also suggest that manhood meaning among African Americans is relationally constructed.

Masculinity, Medical Mistrust, and Preventive Health Services Delays Among Community-Dwelling African-American Men

“…39 Some argue that since African-American men hold relatively lower social positions, they may delay healthcare utilization to symbolically exercise masculine dominion over their bodies. 27,40,41 Others posit that barriers to traditional male role fulfillment encourage African-American men to reject traditional masculinity, and adopt patterns of healthcare use that contradict dominant male behavioral norms.…”

“…We assessed the salience of traditional masculinity norms (e.g., having power and courage) to men's overall identity with a 9-item scale constructed from previous qualitative work on masculinity meaning among African-American men. 39 This measure assesses men's commitment to traditional masculinity norms and their likelihood of invoking them when making behavioral choices. 47,65 A mean score was computed from responses ranging from 1 ("not at all important") to 5 ("extremely important") (Cronbach's α = 0.79).…”

Hypermasculinity and Sexual Risk Among Black and White Men Who Have Sex With Men and Women

“…Interventions that incorporate discussions of masculinity should expand and reframe the meaning of "manhood" beyond hypermasculine terms that may promote high-risk sexual practices. For example, Hammond and Mattis (2005) found that some African American men have developed more flexible definitions of masculinity, moving from a framework of African American manhood being seen as problematic "posturing" or defense mechanisms against historical racism and lack of economic opportunities to a construction of masculinity as a developmental and relational process promoting responsibilityaccountability to self, family, and community. In addition, though Oparanozie et al (2012) found that hypermasculine ideals contributed to concurrent sexual partnerships among African American men, strong African American racial identity contributed to a reduction in number of sexual partners, indicating that exploring how to focus on both masculinity and racial identity in efforts to reduce numbers of sexual partners may be a promising area of HIV prevention.…”

Responding to Race Related Trauma: Counseling and Research Recommendations to Promote Post-Traumatic Growth when Counseling African American Males

“…In addition, men who endorsed these cultural messages were less likely to refer male friends or acquaintances to mental health professionals (Vogel et al, 2013). Conceptually, how African American men define and embody their masculine identity may differ from White men (Hammond & Mattis, 2005). Bush and Bush (2013) explored three primary factors that have significantly influenced African American masculine identity including slavery, the matriarchal system commonly seen in African American communities, and the Civil Rights movement.…”