Society’s inattention to men’s vulnerabilities might pose a problem to their mental well-being, said Michael Addis, a psychology professor at Clark University at a talk Wednesday.
Addis explained the dangers of ignoring the mental state of men Wednesday evening as part of a series organized by the Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. Addis’ talk focused on depression in males and of the inherent challenges in identifying when a man is depressed.
“I’m convinced that gender is the most complicated social process out there,” Addis said.
“Men are not thought of as gendered beings.”
Addis said a pervasive problem in society is its acceptance of men as masculine figures coupled with the inability or refusal to address their intrinsic emotions. Women more openly discuss depression, among other mental and physical states, while men refrain.
Addis attributes this to the societal meaning of masculinity and a man’s fear of appearing feminine when he does express his personal feelings.
Addis has found increased rates of violent crime and substance abuse with decreased rates of reported depression, anxiety and seeking help for mental and physical health problems among men when compared to women.
“Perhaps we are not as good at detecting depression in men,” Addis said, pointing out potential shortcomings in his research.
Addis and his team conducted a study in which they presented male subjects with information and discussed it with them in a motivational, and somewhat indirect, way.
The survey gauged men’s levels of depression and recorded what they cited as the cause.
The team initially hypothesized that by blaming their depression on outside forces like genetics, men would be more comfortable reporting it. Likewise, they thought if a man were to blame himself for his depression, this would be somewhat emasculating and prove more difficult to admit openly.
The results, however, countered their expectations.
Men proved less likely to report depression when the cause was organic or genetic. Greg Beaulieu, a counseling psychology graduate student, said the counterintuitive nature of the results was very telling.
“Men want to be in control, even if it’s something negative,” Beaulieu said.
Paul Bonin-Rodriguez, assistant professor of performance as public practice, said he was most interested in the unexpected results and was somewhat surprised to learn that a man’s control of his physical and mental state took precedence over his pride.
Addis and his team plan to explore depression and masculinity in individual races to create a more comprehensive study. They recently received a grant to look at Latino men and depression, a study for which interviews have just begun.
Study shows men inclined to neglect aid for depression
Published: Thursday, October 15, 2009
Updated: Thursday, October 15, 2009
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