I want to announce my most recent co-authored book (with Shana Pryor and published by Oxford University Press): The Tough Standard: The Hard Truths about Masculinity and Violenceopens in new window.
The vast majority of sexual and gun violence crimes are committed by boys and men, yet most boys and men are not violent. An unpacking of this seeming paradox requires an analysis of the role of masculinity. This is the first book to examine that question head-on, synthesizing over four decades of research in the psychology of men and masculinities as well as popular accounts of recent events. Written for the professional as well as the educated lay reader, this book connects the dots between masculinity and the present moment in U.S. culture, defined by such high profile movements as #MeToo, #MarchForOurLives and #BlackLivesMatter.
Men are expected to be masculine, which usually means being self-sufficient, stoic, strong, dependable, brave, tough, a leader, hard-working and avoiding conduct that is stereotypically feminine, such as emotional expressivity, empathy and nurturance. However, few realize that these qualities (when taken to the extreme) can imprison some men, resulting in the constriction of their emotions, aggression and violence. Further, even though most men are not violent, decades of research have shown that masculinity is related to sexual and gun violence and exacerbates working class men’s economic stagnation. To make matters worse, too many men are harmed by masculinity, suffering as a result of their adherence to masculine norms from poor physical health, shorter lives, depression, alexithymia, substance abuse, difficulty in recovering and growing from trauma and most tragically, suicide.
Masculinity varies with other aspects of a person’s identity such as race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and age cohort, so that is more appropriate these days to speak of masculinities. Girls and women benefitted from many decades of conversations to navigate their gender in a changing world, and similar discussions are urgently needed for boys and men. New efforts to help boys and men find new ways to be in the world are presented, to both address urgent social problems and to help the men themselves and their families.
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