The Psychology of Men and Masculinities

Decades ago, the emergence of feminist psychology upended the old order by redefining sex and gender. Soon thereafter, scholars such as Ron Levant recognized the importance of doing a similar critical analysis of men. Now, years later, the psychology of men and masculinities is a thriving, growing field illuminating the impact of sex and gender on the lives of men.
 
This highly anticipated volume shows how far the field has advanced and what directions it is taking. It explains and evaluates major theories, research, and applications, with an emphasis on the gender role strain paradigm, which is an empirical, feminist, and social constructionist approach that is based primarily in psychology and that relies largely on quantitative research. The chapters also synthesize research on men’s mental and physical health, including depression, help-seeking, stigma, body image, and the physical health effects of masculinity. Special attention is given to ethnic, racial, and sexual minority men. Finally, the book surveys the growing body of work on therapeutic and preventive interventions for men, as well as programs aimed at men’s violence, substance use, and lack of self-care. With such broad and inclusive coverage, this volume will be a standard reference for researchers and practitioners in this field and an essential part of university courses on men and masculinities.
 

A valuable resource that offers novel insights. With vivid illustrations in the daily news of hypermasculinity run amok among politicians, CEOs, and professional athletes (to name a few), this book provides a scientific perspective that is both timely and illuminating of men's unique struggles in the modern age.

Ronald F. Levant, EdD, ABPP, earned his doctorate in clinical psychology and public practice from Harvard University. He served on the faculties of Boston University, Rutgers University, Harvard Medical School at The Cambridge Hospital, and (as both Dean and Professor) the Center for Psychological Studies at Nova Southeastern University. He is currently Professor of Psychology at the University of Akron, where he served for 4 years as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.  Dr. Levant has authored, co-authored, edited, or co-edited 16 books and over 200 peer-refereed journal articles and book chapters in gender and family psychology and in advancing professional psychology. Dr. Levant developed a leadership role in the American Psychological Association (APA). He served as President of APA Division 43 (Family Psychology), as Editor of the Journal of Family Psychology, and as Associate Editor for Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. He also chaired the APA Committee for the Advancement of Professional Practice for two terms and served two 3-year terms on the APA Council of Representatives. Following that, he served 12 years on the APA Board of Directors, as an at-large member for one term, two terms as APA Recording Secretary, and as the 2005 APA President. Dr. Levant has been one of the leading pioneers of the new field of the psychology of men and masculinities. He played a key role in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s in envisioning and developing this new field, serving as the co-founder, co-chair, and the first President of the Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity (APA Division 51). He co-edited A New Psychology of Men (Basic Books, 1995), which has been cited as “the most salient publication” in the new psychology of men. He served as Editor of Psychology of Men and Masculinity for over half of its 15 years of existence, which had an Impact Factor of 2.947 in the final year of his editorship (2015). Finally, he has developed theory and conducted research on fathering, gender role strain, masculinity ideologies, and normative male alexithymia. Dr. Levant’s work in the psychology of men and masculinities was recognized in 2011, when he was awarded the APA Award for Distinguished Professional Contributions to Applied Research.

Y. Joel Wong, PhD, is Associate Professor in the APA-accredited Counseling Psychology Program at Indiana University. Dr. Wong obtained his PhD in counseling psychology from the University Texas at Austin and completed his APA-accredited internship at the University of Texas' Counseling and Mental Health Center. He is a fellow of APA (Divisions 17, 45 and 51) and of the Asian American Psychological Association. Dr. Wong has published more than 90 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. He also co-edited the 34-chapter, 799-page APA Handbook of Men and Masculinities. His research interests are in the psychology of men and masculinities, Asian American mental health, and positive psychology. With regard to the psychology of men and masculinities, he has studied the intersection of race and gender and its implications for men of color as well as men’s emotional lives. Dr. Wong’s current research interests in masculinities address basic theoretical conceptualizations of masculinities as well as how diverse meanings of masculinities can be operationalized and measured. Together with his colleagues, Dr. Wong helped to develop the following masculinities-related measures: the Subjective Masculinity Stress Scale, the Inventory of Subjective Masculinity Experiences, the Measure of Men’s Perceived Inexpressiveness Norms, the Masculinity Contingency Scale, and the African American Men’s Gendered Racism Inventory. Dr. Wong is an associate editor of two APA journals, Psychology of Men and Masculinity and the Journal of Counseling Psychology. He has also received several awards for his research, including the Researcher of the Year Award from APA’s Division 51, the Best in Science Address from APA’s Division 17, the Shane J. Lopez Award for Professional Contributions in Positive Psychology from APA Division 17’s Positive Psychology Section, the Emerging Professional Contributions to Research Award from APA’s Division 45, and the Early Career Award for Distinguished Contribution to Research from the Asian American Psychological Association.
 

Decades ago, the emergence of feminist psychology upended the old order by redefining sex and gender. Soon thereafter, scholars such as Ron Levant recognized the importance of doing a similar critical analysis of men. Now, years later, the psychology of men and masculinities is a thriving, growing field illuminating the impact of sex and gender on the lives of men. This highly anticipated volume shows how far the field has advanced and what directions it is taking. It explains and evaluates major theories, research, and applications, with an emphasis on the gender role strain paradigm, which is an empirical, feminist, and social constructionist approach that is based primarily in psychology and that relies largely on quantitative research. The chapters also synthesize research on men's mental and physical health, including depression, help-seeking, stigma, body image, and the physical health effects of masculinity. Special attention is given to ethnic, racial, and sexual minority men. Finally, the book surveys the growing body of work on therapeutic and preventive interventions for men, as well as programs aimed at men's violence, substance use, and lack of self-care. With such broad and inclusive coverage, this volume will be a standard reference for researchers and practitioners in this field and an essential part of university courses on men and masculinities.

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