An Integrative Approach to Masculinity and a Developmental Model of Masculine Character

Abstract

The psychological and social sciences refer to a crisis of masculinity in the United States and Western world. Despite efforts to discover the source of this crisis and to implement strategies to resolve it, it has not shown signs of improvement. The psychological and social sciences’ literature focuses on the pressure men experience from culturally embedded stereotypes of masculinity. Despite the impact of these pressures, it is the thesis of this dissertation that there is also a fundamental confusion about the nature, character, and purpose of being a man. It is proposed that if a man does not know who he is, he will struggle as he seeks to fulfill his purpose and find meaning in life. This dissertation reviews the current psychological and social sciences’ understanding of the problem at the root of the crisis of masculinity. Then, it proposes an alternative understanding of the cause of the crisis of masculinity and outlines how the current solution, though helpful in many ways, has not been able to account for this cause. Having understood the problem as a fundamental confusion about masculinity, this dissertation will present an alternative solution. Theoretically, this solution takes the form of an integrative approach to masculinity, a third way between essentialism and social constructionism. Practically, this third way will be used to propose a developmental model of masculine character.