The Mystery of Men in Therapy Revealed

Why is it that so many men feel more comfortable opening up to a therapist — essentially a stranger — than they do their own spouse? Do they trust their therapists more than their wives? The short answer is, no, they don’t. The slightly more complicated answer is that they’re afraid to let the one woman who they’re closest with — the one woman they’ve professed to love and protect — know that they, too, are at times scared, confused and dare I say it…sensitive. The Social Stranglehold Although men have, over time, become more open with their emotions, the reality is that many men still strongly identify with traditional values. They want to be the voice of reason in difficult situations, fix things, “handle themselves” and remain calm, cool, collected — and maybe even seemingly a little fearless — in the face of distress or potential danger. As much as we’d like to believe these traditional values have shifted in our current culture, the reality is, well, not much has changed. Although there is, by far, much less stigma attached to men being in touch with their feminine side, they are still expected to remain as masculine as ever, at the same time. I doubt many men who are old enough to call themselves men were encouraged to be emotional or vulnerable as children. Even if this were the case, it may not have been as well received as one would have hoped — whether at home, or in the workplace. With all of these co...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Men's Issues Psychotherapy Treatment embarassment Emotional Expression Expectations Fear Gender Intimacy Masculinity Self Acceptance Shame strength Vulnerability Source Type: blogs