Exploring the Distress of Striving for Independence and Autonomy: The 'Lone Wolf'Experience

Scientific literature, across different disciplines, has indicated a significant impact of the concept of masculinity in the lives of men, including psychological well-being. Although many quantitative studies have constructed different perspectives around the subject matter, qualitative studies have only started to investigate the phenomenon. The present phenomenological research investigated the experience of masculinity by men from a contextualist epistemological viewpoint. The participants were 7 men of ages 29 to 59. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in order to produce analysable transcripts of the men’s experience. The transcript data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Six Master themes emerged that illustrated the contexts within which the experience of masculinity might have been experienced: Being Masculine, The Self Towards Superiority, What is Masculinity, The Emotional World, Other Men and The Other Gender. These themes represent interpretations of the men’s experience addressing structural, functional, developmental, personal and interpersonal aspects of experienced masculinity. Of particular interest was the pervasiveness of the concept of power throughout the Master themes and through many of their Constituent themes. Illustrative accounts are quoted in order to illuminate how the men experienced masculinity to be impacting their lives. It is also argued that the new and rich understandings gained from this study might help Counselling Psychologists to better help their clients address masculinity related issues and to accept and define their own way of being men.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

other

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

doctoral

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

City, University of London

Year dc:date.issued

2014

Author dc:creator

• Bouzianis, P

• BF Psychology