Gender Role Conflict

Gender role conflict is a theory that is based on the assumption that men experience a form of psychological distress and strain as they attempt to be men and to be masculine. This strain creates a form of intrapersonal (internal to the person) and interpersonal (in relationships) conflict and dysfunction. This theory is important due to the shift away from a static identity to socialized gender roles. For psychologists and researchers, this shift meant that the way in which men exhibited various forms of masculinity and the way men spoke about themselves as men were based on a lifetime of experiences and expectations from significant family members, friends, and society at large. This entry discusses gender role conflict within this new psychology of men and ...