About this srcd poster session

---

Panel information
Panel 23. Social, Emotional, Personality

Abstract

---

According to many, our U.S. boys are currently in crisis, with increases in substance abuse, mental health challenges, gun violence, social isolation, and reduced educational attainment (Golding & Fitzgerald, 2017; Reeves, 2022). A good deal of research regarding men and boys emphasizes socialization of traditional masculine gender norms and “what is wrong with boys” (deficit-approach) and rarely takes a strengths-based, positive psychological account of “what is right or good about boys?” (Cole et al., 2021). Without a strengths-based approach, adolescent boys will continue to struggle, and professionals will have little understanding of how to support adolescent boys to lead healthy, productive lives. Although stereotypical and traditional masculine gender norms focused on toughness, self-determination, and dominance have been studied extensively, little attention has focused on adolescent boys’ perceptions of masculinity and the characteristics of a “good man” (McNulty & Birney, 2023; Pinkett & Roberts, 2019; Rice et al., 2018; Sundaram & Jackson, 2018). Endorsement of traditional masculine norms is associated with reduced self-esteem and poorer interpersonal relationships (Cole et al., 2019; Cournoyer & Mahalik, 1995; Fischer & Good, 1997; Sharpe & Heppner, 1991). One recent qualitative study asked young adult men and women their views on “what makes a good man?” but their coding interpreted men’s responses in line with traditional masculine gender norms and did not consider a more positive developmental perspective (McNulty & Birney, 2023). The goal of the current study was to qualitatively investigate how adolescent boys defined what makes a good man using a positive psychological and developmental lens, in order to understand what is right with boys.
Participants were 601 adolescent boys aged 13-17 recruited via Qualtrics to reflect the race/ethnicity of the U.S. (73.5% White, 15% Black, 6.8% Asian/American, 4.7% Native American, 26.2% Latino). All boys (100%) identified as male. As part of a survey, boys responded to a single open-ended question, “what makes a good man?” A coding system was created using categories from prior research emphasizing positive masculinity and traditional masculine norms (Cole et al., 2021; Levant et al., 2007; McNulty & Birney, 2023).
Table 1 presents the frequency of boys’ responses in descending order with kindness, morality, and respectful topping the list (33.61%, 22.80%, and 19.63%, respectively). These characteristics and others, including responsible, caring, protective, and goal-oriented, indicate that adolescent boys viewed masculinity and manhood from a more positive psychological perspective and rarely endorsed the more traditional norms reflecting hegemonic masculinity (e.g., avoiding femininity, dominance, and restrictive emotionality were among the lowest frequency responses at 0%, 0.67%, and 1.33%, respectively). Additional analyses will look at how these responses differ by age, and their relation to boys’ mental health and early socialization experiences with parents and peers.
Preliminary findings reveal how adolescent boys’ perceptions of a “good man” overwhelmingly reflect positive character strengths, such as kindness, integrity, and social intelligence. Future research is needed that takes a more-strengths-based, developmental approach couched in positive psychology and social competence, rather than a deficit approach defined by traditional masculine gender norms.

Author information

Author	Role
Mr. Samuel Harris Marchuck, University of Michigan	Presenting author
Dr. Brenda L. Volling, University of Michigan	Non-presenting author
Dr. L. Monique Ward, University of Michigan	Non-presenting author
Dr. Erica Scharrer, University of Massachusetts Amherst	Non-presenting author

⇦ Back to session