How Traditional Masculine Ideology is Killing Men with Dr. Ronald Levant

Hola amigos! Welcome back!

How does traditional masculinity affect you? Dr. Ronald Levant explains how the dominant traditional norms are killing men and creating violence in America. This is not an attack; this is a call to help men break free from harm.

Highlights of this episode:

• Masculine norms
• Men’s behaviors and health
• Men and their emotions
• Anger and heart disease
• Helping men

Announcements:

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For this Episode:  

Dr. Ronald Levant is an expert in masculine psychology. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology and Public Practice from Harvard University. You can read his full bio here.

Previous episodes on masculinity: 5 Solutions for How Masculinity Screws with Men’s Health and How Hyper-masculinity is Ruining More Than Just Our Health with Co-host Patrick Bryant are ones you don’t want to miss.

Episode Show Notes: 

[07:07] What is Traditional Masculinity?

Let’s be sure to define traditional masculinity first.  What tradition are we referring to? The dominant tradition in America is defined as American born, white, cis-gender (male), heterosexual, Christian, and an able-bodied person. This is the standard of what all men are held to in America.

Masculinity is used synonymously as male with a Y chromosome. In psychology, Dr. Levant and his colleagues have a different understanding – that masculinity is a gender norm, built by social norms, the unwritten rules of society.

However, this social norm of masculinity contradicts our general Western culture individualist ideals going back to Aristotle.  After all, “be yourself, everyone else is taken” quote Oscar Wilde. Yet, at the same time, individuals can be punished for being outside the social norm, like a male boy who does not exhibit traditional masculine traits.

In Dr. Levant’s field, they use score cards to measure abstract factors, like belief systems. He developed a useful Male Role Norms Inventory (MRNI) to study how the social norm of masculinity affects individuals, mostly men.

 [14:50] Why is masculinity harmful?

Dr. Levant defines masculinity as harmful because:

1. Masculinity norm is obligatory, meaning it’s morally required and demanded from all males.

2. Masculinity is oppressive because it upholds the patriarchy structure, which others women and any other groups outside the masculine social norm characteristics.

3. Masculinity was examined by multiple characteristics and was associated with negative outcomes. And a short list of benefits.

The old expression, boys will be boys,” is acceptance of harmful behavior.

[19:48] Traditional Masculine Ideology Taught Us Harm

For example, the traditional masculine lesson of “big boys don’t cry” – comes from the norm that crying is a sign of emotion, and therefore a weakness as defined by masculinity.David wonders if this can develop into loneliness and oppression that kills men.  It’s a good question. The Hidden Brain podcast has an episode that explores loneliness more.

Dr. Levant developed a useful Male Role Norms Inventory (MRNI) to study how the social norm of masculinity affects individuals, mostly men. Traditional ideology means beliefs. Beliefs are attitudes that you “know” to be true. These guide the way we function in many ways.

So out of the ideology of “should’s and should not’s” for men were developed into the Male Role Norms Inventory and identified seven norms. For example, men “should” avoid anything feminine. Engaging in “feminine” is shameful.

[28:43] How is this “Killing?”

Humans are not generally violent. Does that surprise you? Also, most men don’t embrace the masculine norms personally into their beliefs. Yet, the norms persist.

The norms that lead to violence are from men who feel ashamed, whose masculinity is threatened, and who live within an obligatory norm environment are more likely to reach the point of stress to commit violence. Violence on themselves or others.

[35:19] Controversies about American Issues and Masculinity

The controversial violent video game exposure is because there are many variables into the relationship between exposure to violence and committing violence.

Dr. Levant’s study looked at this issue again, with the MRNI, Male Role Norms Inventory. With a low score of MRNI, means there is no risk for committing violence. However, a high score of MRNI, there is a significant risk for committing violence. So, if a masculine oriented male is exposed to violent video games, this may contribute to his existing beliefs and attitudes, which turn into actions.

Dr. Levant has researched and spoken about America’s gun issues extensively and continues to pursue it. His new book, The Tough Standard: The Hard Truths About Masculinity and Violence, details his findings. Research is showing that strict gender identity does not lead to a healthy personality development, but to strain, or discrepancy strain, fosters shame for being “weak” according to masculine norms.

Many specialties are siloed within their own worlds. Dr. Levant branched out to see if other specialties were finding anything about masculinity and violence. As it turns out, many other professional specialties were making similar conclusions. When we consider the school shooting issue, making research into an action as policy is a sticking point for Dr. Levant.

[47:36] Masculinity is Absent of Healthy Emotion

Men have a difficult time expressing their emotions. If you ask a man how he feels, you likely won’t get an answer, or a real one. In development psychology, researchers gathered data to understand how we build our emotional socialization. Some of the interesting take-aways were:

• Boys as neonates are more emotional than females.
• At 2 years old, girls are gaining more expression than boys about their emotions.
• At ages 4-6, boys lose their facial expressions for emotions.
• Mothers got less accurate on reading their son’s emotion at 6 years old.

What is the change there? Consider that the 6-year old’s go to school. This is an opportunity for boys to police other boys’ behavior. Obligatory – rules are norms lead to bullying, teasing, and violence.

The inability to recognize emotions and their subtleties and textures is called alexithymia. What is the outcome of that? It’s implications? Relationships require revealing how you feel. Emotional intimacy is the cornerstone of relationships. How do you communicate your feelings to others to be understood, accepted, or acknowledged?

[55:53] Masculinity and Food

David’s private practice is focused on helping people build a positive relationship to food. This sounds weird to men. Many men cannot verbalize their emotion about food, yet, many are picky eaters and can also have disordered eating patterns.

If men cannot talk about what’s bothering them or identify it, they turn to unhealthy behaviors and feel more irritated, frustrated, and isolated. However, they know how to turn it vague emotion into rage and aggression. This can be outward or inward. Depression is a most common mental disorder. White middle-aged men have a higher suicide rate within demographic data.

[01:02:17] Solutions to Violence

Anyone who had trauma with masculinity is encouraged to seek psychotherapy, yet the masculine norm says this violates masculinity. Mild alexithymia can be helped by modeling – turning emotions into words and teaching them. Start with inviting them to be a “familismo,” a masculine family leader whose strength comes from leadership and loyalty to their family.

Address men’s fears. There was a popular essential father hypothesis in the 70’s that models heterosexuality and masculinity, but it is not well supported for positive outcomes. Yet, fathers believe this, whether or not they are familiar with the research.

Good parenting is not a gender identity. However, traditional American fathers only spent 6 minutes a day in the 1960’s parenting. Gestation and lactation are the only responsibilities of the female biologically.

[01:09:49] How Does Masculinity Kill Men?

Men die 5 years and have a greater morbidity in all medical conditions. Dr. Levant cites that there are 30 controllable behaviors that are usually men working against themselves. Examples are smoking, alcohol and drug abuse, avoiding seat belts, eating unhealthy diets, few doctor’s visits, low physical activity, etc.

Also, anger is a risk for cardiovascular disease. The conforming to masculine is violent onto themselves. Men are dying more frequently than women, some of it biological but more are those controllable behaviors.

Men’s personal socioeconomic level and education affects their masculine conformity as well. A higher education level helps all of us problem solve and examine assumptions, but not many of us have that education.

[01:17:34] One Last Factor – Energy Drink Consumption

Energy drinks are marketed more to young white men, engaged with extreme sports. Dr. Levant wanted to know if this was related to men’s intake and sleep. The belief that energy drinks were useful was associated with more intake and poorer sleep.

Closing Comments:

David hopes this helps any men struggling with their health or helps the women trying to help their men.

Tune in next time for Raegan’s interview about compassion and curiosity. Raegan is a RDN and the clinical supervisor at Orozco Nutrition.

David’s Book Launch Group is open for enrollment! Click here to read more about it: https://forms.gle/HJbK68QSCnw7GnGp6

Resources:

• Hidden Brain Podcast: Guys, We Have A Problem: How American Masculinity Creates Lonely Men
• Levant’s New Book: The Tough Standard: The Hard Truths About Masculinity and Violence
• Ronald F. Levant’s professional page

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