Toxic masculinity: what does it really mean?
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This man is the standard of courage, restraint and toughness. He is self-critical and rarely expresses emotion or gibberish. Similar ideas about the “power of this world” are embedded in the consciousness of many. These patterns are closely related to the concept of toxic masculinity. Everyone has heard of the terms “masculinity” and “femininity” over and over again, but the concept of toxic masculinity complicates harassment. Let”s try to understand what it is.
Contents of the article:
Definition of the term
This term appeared in 1980, at the height of the feminist movement. Activists seriously criticized the foundations of patriarchal society. They stated that men have built a world in which many mechanisms of heterosexual oppression exist. They are in the hands of the ruling elite. With the help of special “lashes”, women, along with other reproductive organs, become slaves who are obliged to obey people.
These views are still popular today. It”s no surprise that men try to explain that the harsh reality is not so different. Often the “oppressors” themselves suffer from the moral principles existing in society.
The concept of “toxic masculinity” is understood as a set of specific stereotypes that cause serious harm to health.
For example, every man should be strong, interested in sports, resolve conflicts with his fists and endure failures with his head held high. Such “ideas” are imposed on modern reality. Because of such “standards,” those who do not conform to the system suffer.
I don”t want to talk about cars. Others prefer to drink a glass of water instead of a liter of vodka. Others will try to resolve conflicts peacefully and avoid bloodshed. Often societies accustomed to stereotypes begin to humiliate those who do not meet their standards.
Herbert Goldberg studied the problems caused by toxic masculinity. He concluded that many men suffer because of their repressed emotions. Trying to fit in with society, they literally kill themselves from the inside. This leads to serious negative consequences.
The Negative Impact of Masculinity
Research shows that “attitude” towards sexuality and high income have the strongest influence on stronger sex. It has been proven that men die from heart attacks more often than women. This is due to the fact that people rarely seek medical help. Preferring to do everything on their own, they destroy their health. All because of the stereotypes that dominate society. After all, “strong” people are obliged to solve the problem of proud loneliness.
Data from the Russian Ministry of Health shows that the average life expectancy of men is less than 10 years less than that of women. Such indicators cause real fear.
Read also: Masculinity and femininity: concepts, history, differences
The principles of masculinity and femininity arose in the public consciousness at the time of the emergence of gender differences between the sexes. Yes, the concepts themselves.
In modern reality, ideas about “real men” do not work. They have changed significantly. But this does not change the fact that, especially in our country, the template for people’s heads has remained.
William Pollock, in his work Hearing Boys, discovered that even successful men suffer from repressed emotions. Because “real men” do not have the right to cry and show their real emotions.
Did the American Psychological Association screw up?
In January 2019, the American Psychological Association (APA), a major force in psychology, will release a guideline that will harshly criticize the concept of toxic masculinity as a science. They argue that all masculine qualities cause more harm to the stronger sex. However, all the organization”s documents were very critical. But why? After all, their “concepts” are completely fueled by all of the above data.
The reasons are as follows. Many believe that APA has become a company that strongly encourages feminist views. All associations boil down to the fact that masculine qualities need to be completely removed.
Andrew Sullivan rightly points out that most male behavior patterns are closely related to the level of testosterone in the body. It is necessary to recognize that there are marked differences between men and women, and there is no point in eradicating them (as if radical feminists do not want this).
“make fun of toxic masculinity”
The report”s authors acknowledged that they were not denying the nature of men after criticism. They simply stated that social stereotypes often harm people.
One consequence arises. There”s nothing wrong with being a man (surprise). The main thing is not to bend to social attitudes, but also not to suppress your true nature. People are individuals and should not be labeled with behavior. Everyone is free to do as his soul tells him.
Psychologists on masculinity issues
Russian psychotherapy has its own ideas about how toxic masculinity works in modern reality.
Max Ilyin believes that people over 40 often suffer from social “taboo”. They grew up in a completely different time, when different rules applied. For this reason, becoming a “real man” has become the norm for them. Of course, this can cause great harm to their mental state. However, the human brain is designed to adapt to all realities. Therefore this question is not so important.
It cannot be denied that men are much less likely to seek help from a psychotherapist. They believe that the campaign against brainstreams undermines their authority. In the eyes of the team, they become “psychopaths” and are not worth messing with. For people, becoming a social outcast is one of their biggest fears.
However, the situation is changing for the better. The younger generation understands that there is nothing wrong with treatment. Therefore, they often seek professional help.
Toxic masculinity can harm men. However, it is worth recognizing that this is not such a global problem. After all, women suffer from stereotypes too. The main thing is to live the way you want and maintain your individuality in any situation. This is the main advice that psychotherapists give to all people.
But it’s worth learning more about masculinity and femininity from our article at the link!
