“Socialization for conforming to traditional masculinity ideology has been shown to limit males’ psychological development, constrain their behavior, result in gender role strain and gender role conflict, and negatively influence mental health and physical health,” the association warned.
It’s the first time in its 127-year history that the APA has issued guidelines to help psychologists specifically address issues with men and boys. The APA previously released a number of guidelines for working with different patient populations, including guidance for working with girls and women in 2007 and guidelines for working with LGBT clients, older adults and racial and ethnic minorities.
The latest guidelines linked “constricted notions of masculinity” to aggression, homophobia and misogyny, saying such notions “may influence boys to direct a great deal of their energy into disruptive behaviors such as bullying, homosexual taunting, and sexual harassment rather than healthy academic and extracurricular activities.”
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