New Perspectives on Initiating Men’s Programming Ian Crone, Elmhurst College Michael Henthorne, Oregon State University

Objectives Reaffirm that men are good, and male college students deserve our support Discuss the negative impact of the cycle of socialization & the value of the cycle of liberation Describe campus programmatic efforts for men. Explore the question of what it means to thrive as a young man.

Overview Evidence of the problem Impact of socialization Bobbie Harro’s Cycle of Socialization & Cycle of Liberation Kimmel & O’Neil Keyes Mental Health Continuum What does it mean for men to thrive? Moving forward

Evidence of a problem Declining enrollment in higher education Decline in academic success and persistence Disengagement from co-curricular & study away experiences Alcohol abuse Sexual violence Suicide rates Racism and bias incidents Homophobia and related violence Criminal activity Gambling addiction

Cycle of Socialization developed by Bobbie Harro Beginning Born into the world with mechanics in place No blame, no consciousness, no guilt, no choice First Socializations Socialized Taught on a personal level Parents, relatives, teachers Shapers of expectations, norms, values, roles, rules Institutional/Cultural Socializations Institutions (church, school, television, legal system, mental health, medicine, business) Culture (practices, song lyrics, language, media, patterns of thought) Adams, M. (ed) (2000) The Cycle of Socialization. Readings For Diversity And Social Justice: An Anthology On Racism, Sexism, Anti-semitism, Heterosexism, Classism, And Ableism, Routledge .

Cycle of Socialization developed by Bobbie Harro Enforcements Behaviors are enforced Stigmatization Rewards and punishments Results Ignorance Dissonance, silence, anger, guilt Dehumanization, collusion Self-hatred, violence, horizontal violence, crime Stress, inconsistency Internalization of patterns of power Adams, M. (ed) (2000) The Cycle of Socialization. Readings For Diversity And Social Justice: An Anthology On Racism, Sexism, Anti-semitism, Heterosexism, Classism, And Ableism, Routledge .

The Core of Socialization Fear Ignorance Confusion Insecurity The Beginning First Socialization Institutional/Cultural Socialization Enforcements Results Adams, M. (ed) (2000) The Cycle of Socialization. Readings For Diversity And Social Justice: An Anthology On Racism, Sexism, Anti-semitism, Heterosexism, Classism, And Ableism, Routledge .

Male Gender Role Conflict Male Gender Role conflict – “a psychological state occurring when rigid sexist, or restrictive gender roles learned through socialization, result in personal restriction, devaluation, or violations of others or self.” O’Neil J.M. (1990) Assessing men’s gender role conflict. In D. Moore & F. Leafgren (Eds.). Problem-solving strategies and interventions for men in conflict (pp. 23-38). Alexandria, VA: American Counseling Association.

The Guy Code Culture of Entitlement – a reward for subscribing to the Guy Code, associated with strong sense of male superiority and diminished capacity for empathy Culture of Silence – a binding silence, requiring boys to suffer without speaking of it, and be silent witnesses to the cruelty of others Culture of Protection – community’s reluctance to address guys actions, dismissing their bad behavior as that “boys will be boys” Kimmel, Michael (2008) Guyland: The perilous world where boys become men. New York, HarperCollins.

The Mental Health Continuum Flourishing “almost every day” or “every day” 1 emotional well-being + 6 positive functioning Moderate Languishing “never” or “once or twice” The Mental Health Continuum

Flourishers “Just do it” Self Control Capable Apologize Resilient Deliberate Malleable Mindsets Curiosity NEO Personality Personal Growth Initiative Motivated by Mastery Loved

Oregon State Efforts Simultaneous program creation on and off campus. Community partner is CARDV (Center Against Rape and Domestic Violence) Program shifting towards Positive Psychology model describing “Healthy Masculinity” Programmatic efforts: 6 film and discussions per year; Healthy Masculinity Summit (on-campus conference); Heavy use of Storytelling as means of helping men verbalize their masculinity journey

Elmhurst College efforts Staff partnership with students to create “Better Men’s Initiative,” a bi-weekly discussion group focused on creating an awareness of the challenges facing men, academic achievement, career preparation. Introductory program, Man Camp” introduced to first year orientation program. Campus wide survey focusing on gathering our community’s perceptions/expectations of men.

Moving toward healthy masculinity What is your community’s definition of Healthy Masculinity?  Do your male students share this definition? What would your campus begin to notice about men, if they were truly healthy? What are some program examples that could occur on our college campuses to move towards “healthy masculinity”…where all students flourish and thrive?

Resources Research Bibliography Existing Men’s programs American Men’s Studies Association Healthy Masculinity project (Men Can Stop Rape) Voice Male Magazine