Men, masculinity, and the contexts of help seeking.

TLDR

Analysis of assumptions underlying existing theory and research provides context for evaluating the psychology of men and masculinity as an evolving social scientific inquiry, highlighting theoretical and methodological obstacles that limit understanding of men's help‑seeking behaviors. The study develops a contextual framework to understand how socialization and construction of masculinities interact with social psychological processes, aiming to enhance men's use of mental and physical health resources. The authors construct this framework by examining the interaction between masculinities’ socialization and social construction and common social psychological processes across diverse help‑seeking contexts. The approach integrates the psychology of men and masculinity with theory and methodology from other disciplines and proposes innovative ways to facilitate adaptive help seeking.

Abstract

Research on men's help seeking yields strategies for enhancing men's use of mental and physical health resources. Analysis of the assumptions underlying existing theory and research also provides a context for evaluating the psychology of men and masculinity as an evolving area of social scientific inquiry. The authors identify several theoretical and methodological obstacles that limit understanding of the variable ways that men do or do not seek help from mental and physical health care professionals. A contextual framework is developed by exploring how the socialization and social construction of masculinities transact with social psychological processes common to a variety of potential help-seeking contexts. This approach begins to integrate the psychology of men and masculinity with theory and methodology from other disciplines and suggests innovative ways to facilitate adaptive help seeking.