Transcript
Chapter 16 Psychology of Men
Male Roles
Why should women care about men’s issues?
Masculine characteristics
Aggressiveness, independence, self-confidence, being unemotional
Major factors in male stereotypes:
No sissy stuff
The big wheel
The sturdy oak
Bad but bold
Stereotyped types of men
The businessman
The jock
The family man
The nerd
The player
The tough guy
The sensitive new-age guy
The average Joe
Recent History: Changes in the Male Role
Joseph Pleck (1981)
Whenever roles change, ambiguities are created because of contradictions between the old and new roles
Institutional definition and control of masculinity declined, shifting emphasis to internal, psychological masculinity and gender identity
Traditional vs. modern male roles
Traditional Psychology’s View of Men and Masculinity
Male sex-role identity (MSRI) paradigm: traditional psychology’s approach to the psychology of men, based on the assumption that a masculine identity is essential for good adjustment
Assumptions
Gender-role identity results from identification/modeling and, to a lesser extent, reinforcement and cognitive learning, and cognitive learning is more important in males than in females
Men’s negative attitudes and behaviors toward women are a result of problems of gender-role identity that are caused by mothers
Boys have academic and adjustment problems in school because schools are feminine; that only makes boys’ identity problems worse
None of these assumptions has much evidence backing the MSRI paradigm
Ideas have been revived in popular press
Backlash against advances for girls in the schools
A New View: Sex-Role Strain
Sex-role strain (SRS) paradigm: feminist psychology’s approach to the male role, based on the assumption that gender roles for men are contradictory and stressful
Assumptions
Gender roles are contradictory and inconsistent
A large proportion of individuals violate gender roles
Violating gender roles has worse consequences for males than it does for females
Some characteristics that are prescribed by gender roles are actually maladaptive
Lifespan Development
Infancy
Gender similarities are the rule
Boy babies are more active
Circumcision
Routinely done to 59% of male babies in US
Does it affect male psychology?
Childhood
Peer group gains importance, is a powerful shaper of behavior
Gender segregation in play
Boys are more sensitive to reactions of peers, but girls are more sensitive to reactions of teachers
Boys have more problems in school
Gender ratio in ADHD is 2:1-9:1
80% of hyperactive children are boys
Adolescence
Athleticism
Athletic participation is the most important factor in high school boys’ social status, popularity
Strain from ambiguity about success of individual vs. team
Physical effects
Strain for nonathletes
Violence in schools
Bullying and issues of masculinity are key
Emerging adulthood
Guyland
Adulthood
The Provider Role
Preindustrial Society
Provider role: the male role in preindustrial societies, which required the man to provide food and shelter for his family
Women were providers as well
After the Industrial Revolution
Men left home for factories, dividing male and female roles
Good provider role: the male role in industrialized societies, in which the man is expected to earn money and provide well for his family
High pressure, source of strain
Adulthood
Military
The military experience has been a standard one for American men
Appeals to masculinity are used as recruiting and training tools
Military’s definition of manhood: hyperaggressive, no emotions, treat women as objects
Militarism perpetuates the equation of violence and masculinity
Socialization for masculinity is geared to preparing boys for war (Zurbriggen, 2010)
Toughness, aggression, avoidance of femininity, restriction of emotions, power, dominance, control
Fatherhood
Importance of paternal influence
Direct effects vs. indirect effects
Father absence
Little or no evidence of harmful effects
Boys less stereotyped in choice of toys and activities
Nonresidential fathering
How much time do fathers spend with their children?
Is the father role a source of satisfaction, or inadequacy and frustration?
Male midlife crisis?
Complex forces, biological, personal, and social, converge on the middle-aged (40-55) man
Andropause: time of declining testosterone levels in middle-aged men
ADAM: androgen decline in the aging male
Male midlife crisis refers to personal turmoil & sudden changes in lifestyle, touched off by realization of aging, physical decline, being trapped in tired roles
10% of US men undergo something like this
Erik Erikson: major task of adult development is to resolve issue of stagnation vs. generativity
Confrontation with death
Relationships within the family
Post-parental period is rated positively
Men of Color
Men of color in the US share common experiences
E.g., high unemployment, lower wages
African American Men
Grier & Cobbs (1968): “Whereas the white man regards his manhood as an ordained right, the black man is engaged in a never-ending struggle for its possession.”
Given high percentage of female-headed households, do Black youth especially need Black male role models?
High unemployment rate among Black men creates strain for good provider role
Antisocial behavior, violence, crime may result
Volunteering for military more common
Roles of husband and father are closely tied to breadwinner role
Asian American Men
Uneven gender ratios from immigration patterns
Link between husband and adult roles
Stereotyped as asexual
Share many of difficulties faced by Asian American women
Latinos
Hispanic culture viewed as highly patriarchal
Expectations of machismo
Importance of la familia
Acculturation and endorsement of traditional gender roles
American Indian Men
Some tribes traditionally had relatively egalitarian gender roles
Acculturation and contact with dominant White culture has increased male dominance among Indians
High unemployment create strain
Health Issues
Men live ~6 years fewer than women do
Males have higher death rate, even prenatally
Heart disease
Strikes men at earlier ages
Estrogen is a protective factor
Lethal aspects of male role
Smoking (lung cancer & heart attacks)
Excessive drinking (cirrhosis of the liver)
Accidents
Men are less likely to seek help for medical, mental health, and substance abuse problems
Driving & fatal car accidents
Neither biological nor environmental factors alone can explain the higher mortality rates of males
Male Sexuality
Men go through same biological stages of sexual arousal as women do
In men, vasocongestion produces erection of the penis
Males have refractory period following orgasm
Heterosexuality as central aspect of male identity
Magazines such as Maxim & FHM
Androcentric focus on pleasing women & improving sex life
Unexpected findings about male sexuality
Men sometimes fake orgasm
Want more emotional involvement in sex
Feel under great performance pressure
Distinction between the male sex-role identity paradigm and sex-role strain paradigm
Usefulness of understanding the psychology of men
