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Toxic masculinity
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{{Use American English|date=August 2023}}{{short description|Social sciences concept}}{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}{{pp-30-500|small=yes}}{{for|the exaggeration of traditionally masculine traits|Hypermasculinity}}The concept of toxic masculinity is used in academic and media discussions to refer to those aspects of hegemonic masculinity that are socially destructive, such as misogyny, homophobia, and violent domination. These traits are considered “toxic” due in part to their promotion of violence, including sexual assault and domestic violence. Socialization of boys sometimes also normalizes violence, such as in the saying “(wikt:boys will be boys|boys will be boys)” about bullying and aggression.Self-reliance and emotional repression are correlated with increased psychological problems in men such as depression, increased stress, and substance use disorders. Toxic masculine traits are characteristic of the unspoken code of behavior among incarcerated men, where they exist in part as a response to the harsh conditions of prison life.{{r|Kupers 2004|Kupers 2007}}Other traditionally masculine traits such as devotion to work, pride in excelling at sports, and providing for one’s family, are not considered to be “toxic”. The concept was originally used by authors associated with the mythopoetic men’s movement, such as Shepherd Bliss. These authors contrasted stereotypical notions of masculinity with a “real” or “deep” masculinity, which they said men had lost touch with in modern society. Critics of the term “toxic masculinity” argue that it incorrectly implies that gender-related issues are caused by inherent male traits.The concept of toxic masculinity has been criticized by conservative writers and authors as an undue condemnation of traditional masculinity,JOURNAL, Sculos, Bryant W., Who’s Afraid of ‘Toxic Masculinity’?, Class, Race and Corporate Power, Berkeley Electronic Press, Miami, Florida, 2017, 5, 3, 10.25148/CRCP.5.3.006517,digitalcommons.fiu.edu/classracecorporatepower/vol5/iss3/6, January 20, 2021, free, In January 2019, conservative political commentators criticized the new American Psychological Association guidelines for warning about harms associated with “traditional masculinity ideology”, arguing that it constitutes an attack on masculinity. Some feministsJOURNAL, Hannah, McCann, Is there anything ‘toxic’ about femininity? The rigid femininities that keep us locked in, Psychology & Sexuality, 13, 1, Taylor & Francis, London, England, June 2020, 10.1080/19419899.2020.1785534, 11343/254288, free, have argued it is an essentialist concept that ignores the role of choice and context in causing harmful behaviors and attitudes related to masculinity.JOURNAL, Andrea, Waling, Problematising ‘Toxic’ and ‘Healthy’ Masculinity for Addressing Gender Inequalities, Australian Feminist Studies, Routledge, Adelaide, Australia, October 2019, 34, 101, 362-375, 10.1080/08164649.2019.1679021,

Terminology

The term “toxic masculinity” originated in the mythopoetic men’s movement of the 1980s and 1990s.{{r|Salter}} It later found wide use in both academic and popular writing.{{r|Ging}} Popular and media discussions in the 2010s have used the term to refer to traditional and stereotypical norms of masculinity and manhood. According to the sociologist Michael Flood, these include “expectations that boys and men must be active, aggressive, tough, daring, and dominant”.{{r|Flood}}

Mythopoetic movement

Some authors associated with the mythopoetic men’s movement have referred to the social pressures placed upon men to be violent, competitive, independent, and unfeeling as a “toxic” form of masculinity, in contrast to a “real” or “deep” masculinity that they say men have lost touch within modern society.{{r|Ferber|Longwood}} The academic Shepherd Bliss proposed a return to agrarianism as an alternative to the “potentially toxic masculinity” of the warrior ethic.{{r|Hartman}} Sociologist Michael Kimmel writes that Bliss’s notion of toxic masculinity can be seen as part of the mythopoetic movement’s response to male feelings of powerlessness at a time when the feminist movement was challenging traditional male authority:which he believes is responsible for most of the evil in the world{{emdash}}and proclaims the unheralded goodness of the men who fight the fires and till the soil and nurture their families.{{r|Kimmel}}}}

Academic usage

In the social sciences, toxic masculinity refers to traditional cultural masculine norms that can be harmful to men, women, and society overall. This concept of toxic masculinity does not condemn men or male attributes, but rather emphasizes the harmful effects of conformity to certain traditional masculine ideal behaviors such as dominance, self-reliance, and competition.{{r|Hess, Peter|Kaplan}} Toxic masculinity is thus defined by adherence to traditional male gender roles that consequently stigmatize and limit the emotions boys and men may comfortably express while elevating other emotions such as anger.{{r|Liu 2016}} It is marked by economic, political, and social expectations that men seek and achieve dominance.In a gender studies context, Raewyn Connell refers to toxic practices that may arise out of what she terms hegemonic masculinity, rather than essential traits.{{r|Ging}} Connell argues that such practices, such as physical violence, may serve to reinforce men’s dominance over women in Western societies. She stresses that such practices are a salient feature of hegemonic masculinity, although not always the defining features.{{r|Ging|Connell & Messerschmidt 2005}}Terry Kupers of the Wright Institute describes toxic masculinity as “the constellation of socially regressive male traits that serve to foster domination, the devaluation of women, homophobia and wanton violence”,{{r|Zuckerberg p13}}{{r|Kupers 2005|p=714|Kupers 2010}} involving “the need to aggressively compete and dominate others”.{{r|Kupers 2005|p=713}} According to Kupers, toxic masculinity includes aspects of hegemonic masculinity that are socially destructive, “such as misogyny, homophobia, greed, and violent domination”; these are contrasted with more positive traits such as “pride in [one’s] ability to win at sports, to maintain solidarity with a friend, to succeed at work, or to provide for [one’s] family”.{{r|Kupers 2005|p=716}} Feminist author John Stoltenberg has argued that all traditional notions of masculinity are toxic and reinforce the oppression of women.{{r|Dowd|Cooper}}

Gender norms

File:I Won’t Cry Daddy.jpg|thumb|right|According to Levant 1996|Lindsey}}According to Kupers, toxic masculine norms are a feature of life for men in American prisons, where they are reflected in the behavior of both staff and inmates. The qualities of extreme self-reliance, domination of other men through violence, and avoiding the appearance of either femininity or weakness, comprise an unspoken code among prisoners.{{r|Kupers 2004|Kupers 2007}} Suppressing vulnerable emotions is often adopted to successfully cope with the harsh conditions of prison life, defined by punishment, social isolation, and aggression. These factors likely play a role in suicide among male prisoners.{{r|Kupers 2004|Mankowski & Smith}}Toxic masculinity can also take the form of bullying of boys by their peers and domestic violence directed toward boys at home.{{r|Keith}} The often violent socialization of boys produces psychological trauma through the promotion of aggression and lack of interpersonal connection. Such trauma is often disregarded, such as in the saying “boys will be boys” about bullying.{{r|Liu 2017}} The promotion of idealized masculine roles emphasizing toughness, dominance, self-reliance, and the restriction of emotion can begin as early as infancy. Such norms are transmitted by parents, other male relatives, and members of the community.{{r|Levant 1996|Weir}} Media representations of masculinity on websites such as YouTube often promote similar stereotypical gender roles.{{r|Weir}}According to Ronald F. Levant and others, traditionally prescribed masculine behaviors can produce harmful effects including violence (including sexual assault and domestic violence), promiscuity, risky and/or socially irresponsible behaviors including substance use disorders, and dysfunction in relationships.{{r|Levant 1996|Liu & Shepard}}

Health effects

The American Psychological Association (APA) has warned that “traditional masculinity ideology” is associated with negative effects on mental and physical health.{{r|Salam|Fortin}} Men who adhere to traditionally masculine cultural norms, such as risk-taking, violence, dominance, the primacy of work, need for emotional control, desire to win, and pursuit of social status, tend to be more likely to experience psychological problems such as depression, stress, body image problems, substance use, and poor social functioning.{{r|Wong et al.}} The effect tends to be stronger in men who also emphasize “toxic” masculine norms, such as self-reliance, seeking power over women, and sexual promiscuity.{{r|Kaplan|Panko}} The APA guidelines were criticized by the British Psychological Society in a 2022 practice briefing on psychological intervention for men, which argued that the concept of toxic masculinity may damage the therapeutic alliance, discourage men seeking therapy, and contribute to the misdiagnosis of trauma.JOURNAL, Psychological interventions to help male adults,cms.bps.org.uk/sites/default/files/2022-11/Practice%20Briefing%20-%20psychological%20interventions%20to%20help%20male%20adults.pdf, British Psychological Society, {{Rp|page=4}}The social value of self-reliance has diminished over time as modern American society has moved more toward interdependence.{{r|Weir}} Both self-reliance and the stifling of emotional expression can work against mental health, as they make it less likely for men to seek psychological help or to possess the ability to deal with difficult emotions.{{r|Weir}} Preliminary research suggests that cultural pressure for men to be stoic and self-reliant may also shorten men’s lifespans by causing them to be less likely to discuss health problems with their physicians.{{r|Horowitz|Ellis}}Toxic masculinity is also implicated in socially-created public health problems, such as elevated rates of alcoholism and certain types of cancer among men,JOURNAL, Kirby, Roger, Kirby, Mike, 2019, The perils of toxic masculinity: four case studies, Trends in Urology & Men’s Health, 10, 5, 18–20, 10.1002/tre.712, free, or the role of “trophy-hunting” sexual behavior in rates of transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.JOURNAL, Muparamoto, Nelson, December 2012, ‘Trophy-hunting scripts’ among male university students in Zimbabwe, African Journal of AIDS Research, 11, 4, 319–326, 10.2989/16085906.2012.754831, 25860190, 25920016, 1608-5906, {{Primary source inline|date=June 2017}}Psychiatrist Frank Pittman wrote about how men are harmed by traditional masculine norms, suggesting this includes shorter lifespans, greater incidence of violent death, and ailments such as lung cancer and cirrhosis of the liver.{{r|Dowd}}

Criticism

Some conservatives, as well as many in the alt-right, see toxic masculinity as an incoherent concept or believe that there is no such thing as toxic masculinity.JOURNAL, Sculos, Bryant W., Who’s Afraid of ‘Toxic Masculinity’?, Class, Race and Corporate Power, Berkeley Electronic Press, Miami, Florida, 2017, 5, 3, 10.25148/CRCP.5.3.006517,digitalcommons.fiu.edu/classracecorporatepower/vol5/iss3/6, January 20, 2021, free, {{rp|2}} In January 2019, conservative political commentators criticized the new American Psychological Association guidelines for warning about harms associated with “traditional masculinity ideology”, arguing that it constitutes an attack on masculinity.NEWS, Dastagir, Alia E., Psychologists call ‘traditional masculinity’ harmful, face uproar from conservatives,www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2019/01/10/american-psychological-association-traditional-masculinity-harmful/2538520002/, January 20, 2021, USA Today, January 10, 2019, APA chief of professional practice Jared Skillings responded to conservative criticism, stating that the report’s discussion of traditional masculinity is about “negative traits such as violence or over-competitiveness or being unwilling to admit weakness” and noting that the report also discusses positive traits traditionally associated with masculinity such as “courage, leadership, protectiveness”.

See also

{hide}Div col|colwidth=13em|content=* Bad boy archetype

References

WEB, Flood, Michael, n.d., Toxic masculinity: A primer and commentary,xyonline.net/content/toxic-masculinity-primer-and-commentary, XY, June 12, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190612064526/https://xyonline.net/content/toxic-masculinity-primer-and-commentary, June 12, 2019, live, NEWS, Fortin, Jacey, Traditional Masculinity Can Hurt Boys, Say New A.P.A. Guidelines,www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/science/apa-traditional-masculinity-harmful.html, The New York Times, January 10, 2019, June 7, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190607042815/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/10/science/apa-traditional-masculinity-harmful.html, June 7, 2019, live, limited, JOURNAL, Ging, Debbie, May 2017, Alphas, Betas, and Incels: Theorizing the Masculinities of the Manosphere, Men and Masculinities, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, California, 22, 4, 638–657, 10.1177/1097184x17706401, 149239953, Although the term ‘toxic masculinity’ has become widely used in both academic and popular discourses, its origins are somewhat unclear., BOOK, Hartman, Rebecca, Carroll, Bret, American Masculinities: A Historical Encyclopedia, 2003, SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, California, 978-1-45-226571-1, 20–22, Agrarianism,sk.sagepub.com/reference/masculinities/n7.xml, WEB, Hess, Peter, Sexism may be bad for men’s mental health,www.popsci.com/research-shows-that-toxic-masculinity-is-harmful-to-mens-mental-health, Popular Science, November 21, 2016, June 12, 2017,www.popsci.com/research-shows-that-toxic-masculinity-is-harmful-to-mens-mental-health," title="web.archive.org/web/20170707073157www.popsci.com/research-shows-that-toxic-masculinity-is-harmful-to-mens-mental-health,">web.archive.org/web/20170707073157www.popsci.com/research-shows-that-toxic-masculinity-is-harmful-to-mens-mental-health, July 7, 2017, live, NEWS, Horowitz, Kate, Psychologists Say Macho Behavior May Help Explain Men’s Shorter Lifespans,mentalfloss.com/article/77750/psychologists-say-macho-behavior-may-help-explain-mens-shorter-lifespans, Mental Floss, March 28, 2016, June 12, 2017,mentalfloss.com/article/77750/psychologists-say-macho-behavior-may-help-explain-mens-shorter-lifespans," title="web.archive.org/web/20180122001142mentalfloss.com/article/77750/psychologists-say-macho-behavior-may-help-explain-mens-shorter-lifespans,">web.archive.org/web/20180122001142mentalfloss.com/article/77750/psychologists-say-macho-behavior-may-help-explain-mens-shorter-lifespans, January 22, 2018, live, NEWS, Kaplan, Sarah, Sexist men have psychological problems,www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/11/22/sexist-men-have-psychological-problems/, The Washington Post, November 22, 2016, June 12, 2017,web.archive.org/web/20170309231248/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2016/11/22/sexist-men-have-psychological-problems/, March 9, 2017, live, limited, BOOK, Keith, Thomas, Masculinities in Contemporary American Culture: An Intersectional Approach to the Complexities and Challenges of Male Identity, 2017, Routledge, London, England, 978-1-31-759534-2, 2, In some ways, bullying and other forms of coercion and violence are part of what has been termed {{em, toxic masculinity, , a form of masculinity that creates hierarchies favoring some and victimizing others. Disrupting these forms of toxic masculinity benefits boys and men, rather than attacks and blames men for these behaviors.}}BOOK, Kimmel, Michael S., The Politics of Manhood: Profeminist Men Respond to the Mythopoetic Men’s Movement (and the Mythopoetic Leaders Answer), 1995, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1-56-639365-5, 366–7,archive.org/details/politicsofmanhoo00kimm/page/366/mode/1up?view=theater, registration, BOOK, Kupers, Terry A., Kimmel, Michael S., Aronson, Amy, Men and Masculinities: A Social, Cultural, and Historical Encyclopedia, 2004, ABC-CLIO, Santa Barbara, California, 978-1-57-607774-0, 630–633, Prisons, JOURNAL, Kupers, Terry A., Toxic masculinity as a barrier to mental health treatment in prison, Journal of Clinical Psychology, Wiley-Blackwell, Hoboken, New Jersey, June 2005, 61, 6, 713–724, 10.1002/jclp.20105, 15732090, 10.1.1.600.7208, The term toxic masculinity is useful in discussions about gender and forms of masculinity because it delineates those aspects of hegemonic masculinity that are socially destructive, such as misogyny, homophobia, greed, and violent domination; and those that are culturally accepted and valued., BOOK, Kupers, Terry A., etal, Flood, Michael, International Encyclopedia of Men and Masculinities, 2007, Routledge, London, England, 978-1-13-431707-3, Working with men in prison, 648–649, JOURNAL, Kupers, Terry A., Role of Misogyny and Homophobia in Prison Sexual Abuse, UCLA Women’s Law Journal, University of California Press, Berkeley, California, 2010, 18, 1, 107–30, 10.5070/L3181017818, free, JOURNAL, Levant, Ronald F., The new psychology of men, Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 1996, 27, 3, 259–265, 10.1037/0735-7028.27.3.259, BOOK, Lindsey, Linda L., Gender Roles: A Sociological Perspective, 2015, Routledge, London, England, 978-1-31-734808-5, 70, NEWS, Liu, William Ming, How Trump’s ‘Toxic Masculinity’ Is Bad for Other Men,time.com/4273865/donald-trump-toxic-masculinity/, Motto (Time), April 14, 2016, New York City, January 21, 2018,motto.time.com/4273865/donald-trump-toxic-masculinity/," title="web.archive.org/web/20180121131734motto.time.com/4273865/donald-trump-toxic-masculinity/,">web.archive.org/web/20180121131734motto.time.com/4273865/donald-trump-toxic-masculinity/, January 21, 2018, live, limited, BOOK, Liu, William Ming, Nadal, Kevin L., The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender, Volume 2, 2017, Thousand Oaks, California, 978-1-48-338427-6, 711, Gender Role Conflict,sk.sagepub.com/reference/the-sage-encyclopedia-of-psychology-and-gender/i8033.xml, SAGE Publications, BOOK, Liu, William Ming, Shepard, Samuel J., Blazina, C., Shen-Miller, D.S., An International Psychology of Men: Theoretical Advances, Case Studies, and Clinical Innovations, 2011, Routledge, London, England, 978-1-13-528065-9, 8, Masculinity Competency Typology for Men Who Migrate, BOOK, Longwood, W. Merle, Schipper, William C., Culbertson, Philip, Kellom, Gar, Forging the Male Spirit: The Spiritual Lives of American College Men, 2012, Eugene, Oregon, Wipf and Stock Publishers, 978-1-55-635305-5, 65–6, BOOK, Mankowski, E.S., Smith, R.M., Friedman, Howard S., Encyclopedia of Mental Health, Volume 3, 2016, 2nd, Academic Press, Oxford, England, 978-0-12-397753-3, 71, Men’s Mental Health and Masculinities, WEB, Panko, Ben, Sexism Sucks for Everybody, Science Confirms,www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/sexism-sucks-everybody-science-confirms-180961178/, Smithsonian (magazine), Smithsonian, November 22, 2016, June 12, 2017,www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/sexism-sucks-everybody-science-confirms-180961178/," title="web.archive.org/web/20170702212525www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/sexism-sucks-everybody-science-confirms-180961178/,">web.archive.org/web/20170702212525www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/sexism-sucks-everybody-science-confirms-180961178/, July 2, 2017, live, NEWS, Salam, Maya, What Is Toxic Masculinity?,www.nytimes.com/2019/01/22/us/toxic-masculinity.html, The New York Times, January 22, 2019, June 7, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190514173224/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/22/us/toxic-masculinity.html, May 14, 2019, live, limited, NEWS, Salter, Michael, The Problem With a Fight Against Toxic Masculinity,www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/02/toxic-masculinity-history/583411/, The Atlantic, February 27, 2019, May 11, 2019,web.archive.org/web/20190511005207/https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2019/02/toxic-masculinity-history/583411/, May 11, 2019, live, limited, JOURNAL, Weir, Kirsten, The men America left behind, Monitor on Psychology, February 2017, 48, 2, 34,www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/men-left-behind.aspx, American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., June 11, 2017,www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/men-left-behind.aspx," title="web.archive.org/web/20170611134125www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/men-left-behind.aspx,">web.archive.org/web/20170611134125www.apa.org/monitor/2017/02/men-left-behind.aspx, June 11, 2017, live, JOURNAL, Wong, Y. Joel, Ho, Moon-Ho Ringo, Wang, Shu-Yi, Miller, I. S. Keino, Meta-analyses of the relationship between conformity to masculine norms and mental health-related outcomes, Journal of Counseling Psychology, American Psychological Association, Washington, D.C., January 2017, 64, 1, 80–93, 10.1037/cou0000176, 27869454, 8385, BOOK, Zuckerberg, Donna, Donna Zuckerberg, Not All Dead White Men: Classics and Misogyny in the Digital Age, 2018, Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Mass., 978-0-674-98982-5, 13, }}

Further reading

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Academic sources

  • JOURNAL, Addis, Michael E., Cohane, Geoffrey H., Social scientific paradigms of masculinity and their implications for research and practice in men’s mental health, Journal of Clinical Psychology, June 2005, 61, 6, 633–647, 10.1002/jclp.20099, 15732091, 10.1.1.936.4952,
  • JOURNAL, Banet-Weiser, Sarah, Miltner, Kate M., MasculinitySoFragile: culture, structure, and networked misogyny, Feminist Media Studies, December 2015, 16, 1, 171–174, 10.1080/14680777.2016.1120490, 146362716,
  • BOOK, Bliss, Shepherd, Mythopoetic Men’s Movements, The Politics of Manhood: Profeminist Men Respond to the Mythopoetic Men’s Movement (And the Mythopoetic Leaders Answer), 1995, Temple University Press, Philadelphia, 978-1-56-639365-2, Kimmel, Michael S.,archive.org/details/politicsofmanhoo00kimm/page/292/mode/1up?view=theater, 292–307, j.ctt14bswd0, registration,
  • BOOK, Connell, R.W., Masculinities, 2nd, Berkeley, Calif., University of California Press, 2005, 978-0-74-563426-5,
  • JOURNAL, Daddow, Oliver, Hertner, Isabelle, Interpreting toxic masculinity in political parties: A framework for analysis, Party Politics, July 2021, 27, 4, 743–754, 10.1177/1354068819887591, 213101679,nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3068587,
  • JOURNAL, Harrington, Carol, What is ‘Toxic Masculinity’ and Why Does it Matter?, Men and Masculinities, June 2021, 24, 2, 345–352, 10.1177/1097184X20943254, 225586112,figshare.com/articles/journal_contribution/21159592,
  • JOURNAL, Karner, Tracy, Fathers, Sons, and Vietnam: Masculinity and Betrayal in the Life Narratives of Vietnam Veterans with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, American Studies, January 1996, 37, 1, 63–94, 40642783,
  • JOURNAL, Veissière, Samuel Paul Louis, ‘Toxic Masculinity’ in the age of MeToo: ritual, morality and gender archetypes across cultures, Society and Business Review, October 8, 2018, 13, 3, 274–286, 10.1108/SBR-07-2018-0070, 149867047,

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