Masculinity scripts, presenting concerns, and help seeking: Implications for practice and training.

Abstract

Men are a unique population to work with in psychotherapy, but what does research indicate about how masculinity relates to therapeutic issues? Summarizing research on masculinity's relationship to a range of presenting issues, this article organizes and discusses the findings according to masculinity "scripts" that clinicians are likely to recognize when working with male clients. The article then addresses how masculinity is also associated with less help seeking and with negative attitudes toward psychological help seeking. This irony, that traditional masculinity scripts contribute to men's presenting concerns and act as barriers to help seeking, is then addressed through recommendations for training and practice that incorporate a sociocultural context into working with men. JAMES R. MAHALIK received his PhD in counseling psychology from the University of Maryland in 1990. He is an associate professor in the Department of Counseling, Developmental, and Educational Psychology at Boston College. His specialty interests include understanding the sources of gender role conformity and how it affects developmental, psychological, and relational well-being for individuals, families, and communities, along with how gender role conformity affects men's utilization of and experiences with psychotherapy. GLENN E. GOOD received his PhD in counseling psychology from the Ohio State University in 1987. He is an associate professor in the Department of Educational and Counseling Psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia. His research interests include the implications of gender roles for individuals' psychosocial and biomedical well-being and their utilization of psychotherapy.

Role of the Gender-Linked Norm of Toughness in the Decision to Engage in Treatment for Depression

“…These results support suggestions that toughness is a more salient norm for men and could explain their greater resistance to traditional or formal mental health treatment (28,33,41,42). The toughness norm teaches children that asking for help implies weakness and leads to a loss of independence (25,30,31).…”

The Disclosure Experiences of Male Child Sexual Abuse Survivors

“…Simply put, "boys are taught to be stoical and to ignore symptoms ("boys don't cry"), the threshold for expressing pain and emotional sensitivity (especially related to emotions like weakness, uncertainty, helplessness, and sadness) is heightened and results in emotional restriction" (Möller-Leimkühler, 2002). Mahalik, Good, and Englar-Carlson (2003) noted that men are often reluctant to seek help due to popular scripts they learned, which dictate that males are strong enough not to need help. Cleary (2012) similarly explained that typical constructs of masculinity presented men as emotionally strong and stoic individuals, and within the constraints of masculine norms found disclosing psychological concerns especially challenging.…”

A gale force wind: Meaning making by male survivors of childhood sexual abuse.

“…In spite of the paucity of data, there is strong reason to believe that gender socialization influences how males construct meaning from their abuse (Gartner, 1999(Gartner, , 2005Kia-Keating, Grossman, Sorsoli, & Epstein, 2005;Lisak, Hopper, & Song, 1996). As scientific literature and the popular media make clear, men in American culture are socialized to be emotionally stoic and invulnerable, forceful and aggressive, preoccupied with sex and sexuality, economic providers, and protectors of home and family (Mahalik, Good, & Englar-Carlson, 2003;Rasheed & Rasheed, 1999). As Kia-Keating et al (2005) delineate and others have described (e.g., Addis & Mahalik, 2003;Lew, 2004), these pressures make it much harder for them to acknowledge their victimization, gain support for themselves, enter therapy for assistance, or develop a framework of meaning around their abuse.…”