Men’s mental health is a critical and often under-discussed issue that carries significant social, cultural, and personal implications that shape experiences of men across the globe. Despite recent growing awareness of mental health issues, men continue to face significant barriers in addressing and improving their mental and emotional well-being.
These barriers include many factors: adhering to certain gender norms and expectations, performing masculinity, the stigma of seeking mental and emotional support, and the rise of extreme feminism.
This article will provide an in-depth analysis of men’s mental health, particularly by exploring some of the barriers that men often face in their struggles with mental health.
Societal Expectations
In many cultures and societies, men are often expected to maintain a semblance of strength and suppress their emotions, particularly if those emotions make them look ‘weak.’ While it is encouraged that men and women alike strive to be strong individuals, what needs to be examined is the toll that it takes on men to constantly feel pressure to appear strong. Having to maintain, at times, a life of illusion can be mentally and emotionally draining; furthermore, maintaining this illusion prevents some men from really feeling and accepting their emotions, and this type of suppression can be harmful, especially long term.
Long term suppression prevents men from expressing any feelings of sadness, anxiety, or fear. If men express any of these emotions associated with ‘weakness,’ then they go against the stereotype that a ‘real man’ does not complain or cry. In some cases, there might be men who suffer tragic events, such as the passing of a friend or family member, and feel the need to hide their grief to avoid appearing ‘weak’; of course, this is not always the case, but it happens more often than necessary.
This bottling up of emotions can increase the risk of anxiety and depression. For instance, there are male public figures, particularly actors and professional athletes, who share their stories of enduring mental health struggles silently because they felt pressured to maintain a tough exterior. Some examples include NFL hall of famer Steve Young and NBA player Kevin Love, who have discussed their silent struggles with anxiety and depression, respectively.
Traditional gender roles expect men to be the primary earners in the family, which at times can lead to immense stress, especially if they face any financial instability or unemployment. While times are certainly changing and these financial gender roles are changing as well, there are still many men who, according to their culture, need to be the primary and/or only earners in the family. If any financial crisis occurs and men lose their jobs as the only earners in the family, the sense of failing their families consumes them. Of course, this sense of failure applies to both men and women if they are the only earners in their respective families; however, it is important to note the additional layer of failure that is attributed to those whose culture also expects them to be the providers.
Performing Masculinity
As an extension of societal expectations, performing masculinity can be harmful for men’s mental health because it forces a lot of men to be disingenuous, which makes it impossible for some men to be their natural, genuine selves. Certain cultural expectations and norms praise or glorify aggression, emotional detachment, and dominance from men.
This performance of masculinity is also known as toxic masculinity, which ultimately discourages men from being empathetic or too kind and compassionate for fear of being perceived as ‘weak.’ Many people believe that masculinity is socially constructed, and men often ‘perform’ it by acting according to gender norms imposed by society, such as how men should behave, dress, and interact with others.
The issue at hand is not masculinity in and of itself; the problem is when masculinity is not genuine and rather is forced or performed by men who feel the need to appear or behave a certain way in front of others. This issue is exacerbated with hypermasculinity, when masculine traits or behaviors are further exaggerated.
Performing masculinity is not just harmful for the person performing it, but for others as well. In many cases, performing masculinity creates unnecessary and unhealthy competition between men, as some men may feel the need to demonstrate social, intellectual, or physical dominance over other men. This unhealthy competition eventually leads to friction between men and their peers, and can be harmful to the mental health of those involved, whether they are performing masculinity or not.
The Stigma of Seeking Support
Many men avoid seeking mental health services due to the stigma that surrounds support or therapy, particularly because this can be another sign of weakness, however wrong that may be. One of the strongest cultural norms is that men are expected to be self-sufficient and emotionally strong. Some cultures view men as failures if they are not always self-sufficient or if they show any emotions that are categorized as ‘weak.’
The phrases ‘man up,’ ‘suck it up,’ and ‘tough it out,’ are just some examples of society’s expectations of how men should deal with inconveniences or unfortunate circumstances in their lives. The stereotype of men who should always ‘suck it up’ leads men to hide their emotions, resist opening up to friends and family about their struggles, and ultimately, in some cases, to avoid therapy or support altogether.
The lack of emotional outlets is a direct cause of some cultures’ and societies’ expectations that men need to handle their problems on their own, and if they do not, they are viewed as lacking in strength or resilience, further demasculinizing them.
Also, the fear of judgment or shame is ever present in men who avoid seeking external support. Some men feel that if they admit to mental health issues, their friends and family members will view them as weak or ‘soft.’
The fear of being a burden to others is another issue that plagues the minds of some men; men may fear that their loved ones might view them as too needy, problematic, or dramatic if they open up about their struggles. This fear of being a burden often leads to isolation and suppression of emotions, increasing the likelihood of loneliness and ultimately worsening their mental state.
Extreme Feminism
Mainstream feminism seeks equality between men and women, and that is not to be confused with extreme feminism, which advocates for radical changes in gender dynamics and essentially promotes the idea that women’s interests should take precedence over men’s, ultimately portraying men as both inherently oppressive and as ‘enemies,’ blaming them collectively for societal problems.
With extreme feminism, men may sometimes feel marginalized or alienated when they are portrayed as the root cause of societal problems. Men who believe in gender equality might feel uncomfortable or rejected in feminist spaces where men are blamed for societal issues.
Sometimes, extreme feminism can group all aspects of traditional masculinity as harmful or negative rather than distinguishing between healthy and toxic masculine traits and behaviors. This can lead to anxiety and confusion among men about what it means to express genuine, unperformed masculinity in positive and natural ways.
Men who feel unfairly targeted by extreme feminist views may withhold from engaging in positive and productive conversations about mental health or gender issues, feeling that their views will not be taken seriously or that they might be dismissed because of their gender.
There may also be new and added pressure and stress on men to conform to ‘new gender norms’ from an extreme feminist perspective. Men might feel pressure to embrace new traits or behaviors that include avoiding any displays of assertiveness or self-confidence, fearing that any attempts to do so may go against any extreme feminist ideals. This new and added pressure may lead to a sense of internal identity conflict, not unlike the identity conflict that arises out of performing masculinity.
A stigma already exists regarding men seeking any emotional or mental support, and that stigma may be further exacerbated from an extreme feminist perspective; men’s struggles may potentially be further dismissed as less important or less valid, resulting in an even greater avoidance in seeking mental health support.
Again, it is crucial to understand the difference between feminism and extreme feminism in the context of men’s mental health. While the former simply seeks equality between men and women, as the case should be, the latter can sometimes have negative effects on men’s mental health by fostering feelings of guilt, alienation, and confusion about masculinity and identity.
Solutions
It is important to promote healthy and balanced conversations that address gender equality while recognizing and supporting men’s emotional and mental health needs. The goal should be to challenge any harmful aspects of masculinity, particularly toxic masculinity, without condemning and attacking men and dismissing their struggles.
Men should be encouraged to be their authentic selves, without pressuring them to speak and behave in ways society dictates as ‘normal’ or ‘masculine.’ A person’s worth or value should not be tied to their constructed gender roles.
It is crucial to break down any stigma associated with needing and seeking any form of mental health support, and that goes for both men and women. Definitions of weakness should not be attributed to displaying certain emotions or acting ‘less masculine’ in front of others. Anxiety, stress, sadness, depression, and loneliness are not signs of weakness, they are signs that we are human.
