In addition to a deplorable and unfair mentality, machismo is a risk factor for the mental health of those who practice it , according to a study just published by the American Psychological Association. “In general, individuals who are governed by conservative masculine patterns tend to suffer less mental stability and, in addition, they are not in favor of seeking professional help , although the results differ depending on specific types of these behavioral norms,” Y has stated. Joel Wong, a psychologist at Indiana University Bloomington and lead author of the research.
Wong’s team has reviewed 78 studies, involving nearly 20,000 people, to examine the relationship between mental health and eleven characteristics attributed by most experts to traditional masculinity :
– Desire to win at all costs.
–Need to control emotions.
-Risk behaviors.
– Violence.
-Domination.
–Attitude of conqueror (sexual promiscuity).
–Self-sufficiency.
–Priority of work over other aspects of life.
–Power over women.
– Contempt of homosexuality.
–Search for social position.
After comparing these attitudes with the degree of psychological well-being of the participants in the studies, the specialists came to the conclusion that three of them are the ones that most negatively affect the psyche of sexist men: self-sufficiency, the mood of playboy or conqueror and the desire for domination over women . The fact that people with this way of thinking do not usually go to the psychologist when they are bad, aggravates the problem.
Other characteristics do not seem to affect mental health, such as the primacy granted to working life , since there are men who find there satisfactions that can compensate, for example, the deterioration of interpersonal relationships or the stress associated with the obsession with work . As for risky behaviors, they have both positive and negative consequences, indicate the authors of this meta-analysis.
“In general, individuals who largely conformed to masculine norms tended to have poorer mental health and attitudes less favorable to seeking psychological help, although the results differed according to specific types of masculine norms,” said the lead author. Y. Joel Wong, of Indiana University Bloomington. The study was published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology
“The primacy of work was not significantly associated with any of the mental health outcomes,” Wong said. “Perhaps this is a reflection of the complexity of the job and its implications for well-being. An excessive focus on work can be detrimental to health and relationships , but work is also a source of meaning for many people.
Furthermore, “compliance with the male norm of risk-taking was significantly associated with both negative and positive mental health outcomes, suggesting that risk-taking can have both positive and negative psychological consequences,” Wong said.
Reference: “Meta-Analyzes of the Relationship Between Conformity to Masculine Norms and Mental Health-Related Outcomes,” by Y. Joel Wong, PhD, Shu-Yi Wang, MS, and S. Keino Miller, MA, Indiana University Bloomington, and Moon-Ho Ringo Ho, PhD, Nanyang Technological University. Journal of Counseling Psychology, published online Nov. 21, 2016.
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