GENDER ROLE CONFLICT AND LOCUS OF CONTROL IN DETERMINING PSYCHOLOGICAL HELP SEEKING

In an attempt to understand why men avoid or delay seeking counselling, the literature revealed that many men experience gender role conflict, due to a fear of femininity, and that this fear may inhibit some men from seeking help because many of the aspects of seeking help are considered feminine. The research also suggests that most men have more negative attitudes toward seeking help than women, as do individuals who have an external locus of control. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between gender role conflict, locus of control, and attitudes toward seeking help in a nonclinical sample of 190 university men. The male subjects completed the Gender Role Conflict Scale, the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale, and the Adult Nowicki-Strickland Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. Correlation analyses conducted revealed that there were significant negative relationships between gender role conflict and attitudes toward seeking help as well as between locus of control and attitudes toward seeking help. A significant positive relationship between gender role conflict and locus of control was also found. A multiple regression analysis was conducted and revealed that gender role conflict and locus of control were moderate predictors of attitudes toward seeking help, accounting for 21.1 % of the variability in attitudes toward seeking help scores. Although the results were found to be significant, it is not inferred that gender role conflict is the predominant reason why men do not seek help and other factors need to be investigated to better understand this complex phenomenon.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Education (M.Ed.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Educational Psychology

Grantor

University of Saskatchewan

Year dc:date.issued

1997

Author dc:creator

• Granley, Heath Dean

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Yackulic, A.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Van Hesteren, F.
• Pawlovich, W.
• Scissons, E.

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10388/15840

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:harvest.usask.ca:10388/15840