Real Men Don’t . . . ? The Hidden Traumas of Masculinity

In this course, Dr. Zac Seidler, clinical psychologist and Director of Mental Health Training for Movember, explores what he calls a “complex, charged topic”: the manner in which society frames masculinity, and the traumas this induces for men. From constrained emotional expression to loss of intimacy, men are socialised to enter a cycle of trauma which begins with perceived loss of control and power and eventually leads to externalising behaviours such as violence, substance use, and coercive control. Citing recent studies of men – especially younger ones – who are refusing to “buy into” harmful, traditional “male” qualities, Seidler maintains there is hope, which may come in the form of role modelling, educating mental health professionals, and showing how we can reframe masculinity to free men from the double bind in which their socialisation overwhelmingly places them.