The male identity crisis | Fraser Smith | TEDxGlasgow

TEDxGlasgow 2019 Principal Partner #SCOTLANDISNOW'

When you hear the expression ‘man up’, what does it make you think?
Is it about being tougher? More dominant? Or putting on a brave face?
There’s continued pressure on men to live up to a masculine ideal portrayed by the entertainment industry and on social media. In response, new initiatives call for men to acknowledge their vulnerabilities and ask for help, rather than play the hero. On the flip side, other social movements stigmatise men as being wired for aggressive and predatory behaviour.
Male identity is at a crisis point.
How can men find a sense of themselves amongst such narrow and conflicting ideas of masculinity? And what impact is the male identity crisis having on men’s mental health?
Psychological counsellor, Fraser Smith, shares his research into the impact of male identity and makes a heartfelt case for us to adopt a new way of thinking about what it means to be a man in 2019.
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Fraser is a counselling psychology doctoral trainee at Glasgow Caledonian University. He works as a psychological counsellor at First Psychology and is the Creator of GetPsyched, an online psychology learning platform where content on psychology, mental health and therapy is developed and facilitated.

His main passion within mental health is men’s mental health and he
has developed an understanding of the mechanisms that create barriers to the development of positive mental health in men, as well as the challenges that men have in accessing therapy.

Currently, his research focuses on the lived appreciation of mental health amongst older men. This topic has led him to seek a better understanding of the concept of male identity better, how male identity is at a critical point in society, and how this may contribute to developing mental health difficulties amongst men. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

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