Positive Masculinity in Boys and Young Men

Exploring Positive Masculinity and the Changing Paths for Young Men

A new study exploring how positive masculinity is understood in a school community, guided by two research questions, what does positive masculinity mean to young men, their teachers, and their parents and what are young men’s experiences of trying to adopt positive masculinity, relative to traditional expectations of them as young men has been published in the International Journal of Men’s Social and Community Health.

The Landscape’s Changed and No One’s Giving them a New Map: Positive Masculinity in Boys and Young Men, International Journal of Men’s Social and Community Health, Volume 8, Number 1

Abstract

Background:
Rigid adherence to traditional masculine norms is associated with mental ill-health. Positive masculinities have been proposed as more flexible, inclusive, and authentic ways of being, whereby boys and men can embody key human strengths essential to their well-being.

Methods:
We interviewed 12 school-aged young men, 11 teachers, and 8 parents and employed thematic analysis to examine how positive masculinity is constructed within an Australian all-boys school.

Results:
Young men endorsed positive masculine traits, such as acceptance of diversity and emotional disclosure. However, as emerging norms competed with traditional ones, some young men were left without a clear idea of ‘how to be’ masculine in the current social and political climate.

Conclusions:
Results from the present study support going beyond rhetorical messaging espousing what not to do (ie, a deficit-based approach), in advance of simultaneous education regarding what to do instead (ie, a strengths-based approach) when working with young men.

Read the full article (external link) in International Journal of Men’s Social and Community Health.

Article Information

Article first published online: 27 May 2025

Authors
Kieran O’Gorman (Orygen: Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Krista Fisher (Orygen: Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Michael J. Wilson (Orygen: Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Sarah Bonell (Orygen: Centre for Youth Mental Health, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Ray Swann (Crowther Centre, Brighton Grammar School, Brighton, Victoria, Australia)
John L. Oliffe (School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada)
Matt Englar-Carson (Department of Counselling, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, California, United States)
Judy Y. Chu (Clayman Institute for Gender Research, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States)
Simon M. Rice (Orygen: Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)
Zac Seidler (Orygen: Centre for Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia)