An International Psychology of Men - Assignment Example

An International Psychology of Men Introduction to Psychology The word psychology is broadly defined as the scientific study of behaviors and all mental processes associated with individuals both men and women. There are three vital elements of psychology i.e. science, mental processes and behaviors. The scientific methods are used by the psychologists for observing, studying, predicting and explaining the behaviors and mental processes. Likewise, the behaviors are actions which can be directly observed and mental process is something which is happening in a person’s mind and cannot be observed such as feelings and thoughts (Szukalowski, 4). For many years, the psychologists have limited their work to the study of women psychology. However, with the passage of time and in-depth analysis of various aspects in the field of psychology, the professionals have realized that there are certain behaviors which are associated with men that need to be studied in detail (Blazina and David, 21). In order to make sure that there is sufficient evidence of work on psychological study of man, the experts have undertaken various initiatives to make valuable contributions in the world of psychology. Psychological study of man Previously, the psychologists studied the gender roles by comparing them across various cultures (Lavent and William, 70). But recent developments in the research of these gender roles highlighted that the male behave in certain ways not on the basis of biological or social constructs but rather on socially and psychologically constructed entities (Carothers and Harry, 386). Joseph Pleck was the person who developed “The gender role strain paradigm” in 1981. According to this paradigm, a man has to deal with various strains to live up to the expectations of the society. It was even the starting point for the development of an additional branch of psychology for men (Lavent and William, 2). The gender role is defined as the set of behaviors, actions, attitudes and self-perception methods which are ascribed to all members of the particular biological sex i.e. male or female. There is a specific CPGR (Culturally Preferred Gender Role) which varies according to the cultures. Every male is encouraged to show compliance with CPGR and even forced to adopt it (Lavent and William, 132). According to Szukalowski, a man is generally nurtured on a way that the rules of masculinity are engrained in his personality (45). The three main areas of masculinity are strength (courage, rationality, self-reliance and aggression), action (ambition, dominance, risk-taking and competitiveness) and honor (loyalty, integrity, compassion, responsibility, duty, and selflessness). It is generally believed that when every man meets the standards or expectations of CPGR, there are various advantages for the individuals which are known as ‘Gender Role Compliance Advantages’ (Szukalowski, 154). Some of the positive aspects of compliance are acceptance in the society, successful career path, enhanced self-esteem, availability of various opportunities for growth and access to scarce and valuable resources. On the other hand, there are few negative results when there is non-compliance with CPGR which are evident in the form of mental, relational and physical problems. All of these problems arise because of ‘Gender Role Conflict’ or ‘Gender Role Strain’. Therefore, men try to embed the positive aspects of CPGR to avail the associated benefits and deal with the problems which arise because of non-compliance with CPGR. Regrettably, the men cope with these issues in unhealthy ways such as substance abuse, violence, escapism, detachment from family, harassment in workplaces and etc (Carothers and Harry, 400). As a result, they face many problems like depression, physical illness and relationship destruction which require professional treatments. Since men are reluctant to discuss their problems, it becomes difficult to convince them for the required course of treatment. In 2011, Meek developed a ‘Integrative Model of Masculinity’ to take account of all the threads relevant for understanding man’s psychology (Levant and William, 220). He studied various aspects of the masculinity of male on individual level along with the factors which influence it so that the psychologists can further implement it to develop an effective body of psychological study of man. Various aspects of psychological study of man It has been extensively debated by the experts of the field of psychology that there are various gender differences and similarities between men and women. The factors which lead to similarity or difference among the two genders have to be studied thoroughly so that there is clarity about the roles each individual has to play within the society. The two main areas of research which have been explored by the psychologists are gender role conflict and gender role compliance advantage (Guimond, 498). The most important parts of the psychological studies of man are biological factors which influence development in males; Gender role strain, conflict and stress; issues related to assessment and measurement; fathering; norms and ideologies of masculinity; muscularity and the body image; concepts and assessment criterias for understanding the interventions required for understanding man’s masculinity; presence of addictive behaviors; victimization problems of male adults and children; health, sexual development and dysfunctions; utilization of physical health and psychological services by men; and the procedures and consequences of the male gender role socialization to study the impact on male’s behavior, health, emotional development, well-being, violence and emotional development (Guimond, 496). The psychologists have tried to explore various male gender roles and they have found that there are certain aspects of masculinity which are common or varying among all cultures. Gregor (1985) stated that every man prefers to act either as a protector or provider in all cultures (Szukalowski, 67). However, the culture does impact the roles played by male genders and they vary on the basis of either individual or sub-cultural differences. Some of the many configurations of expressions associated with men are restricting emotions, being self-reliant, success in career is the crucial thing, show aggression and toughness, keep distances among relationships, being homophobic and avoid showing any compliance with feminism (Carothers and Harry, 387). According to Hammer and Good (2010), Kiselica and Englar-Carlson (2010) and O’Neil (2008), there are various strengths associated with man’s rules of masculinity which have to be studied in detail to understand the psychology of man (Blazina and David, 120). The growing body of psychological study of man is stressing the need of developing an entirely new field of psychology so that the experts can make worthwhile contribution in this field and highlight the problems faced by the men and suggest ways of addressing them. Conclusion Since men and women are different from each other and each has to comply with the pre-determined set of gender roles, there is a growing need of studies which highlight the psychological aspects of both genders. Every man has a different psyche which is nurtured in accordance to his own personal set of preferences. Hence, the long held notion that male gender roles are defined by biological or social aspects has been overruled by the latest development i.e. the psychological elements of the gender role. It has been even proven in many studies that males posses certain characteristics which are different from females and they need to be guided properly to avoid any health problems. Similarly, a man has to be educated as well about the consequences of trying to comply with CPGR so that the issues can be avoided. In case of presence of any kind of illness such as physical, mental or health, males have to seek help from the professionals so that the root cause of the problem can be identified and eliminated. Likewise, males have to make sure that they develop positive relations with family members and work colleagues so that they are accepted by the society. Therefore, the psychologists are studying the psychology of man to identify the unexplored areas which require further development and exploration. Hence, it is important to evaluate the psychology of man in various cultures so that all males are given appropriate treatment and the boys are given positive environment for nourishing their development into well-nurtured adult males. Works cited Blazina, Chris and David S. Shen-Miller. An International Psychology of Men: Theoretical Advances, Case Studies and Clinical Innovations. USA: Routledge. 2010. Print. Carothers, Bobbi J. and Harry T. Reis. “Men and women are from Earth: Examining the latent structure of gender.” Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 104.2 (2012): 385-407. Print. Guimond, Serge. “Psychological similarities and differences among women and men across cultures.” Social and Personality Psychology 2.1 (2008): 494-510. Print. Levant, Ronald F. and William S. Pollack. A new psychology of men. USA: Basic Books, 2008. Print. Szukalowski, Marvin. A simple man’s psychology. USA: Aviva Publishing, 2008. Print. Read More