A Swiss study found that men who strongly identify with traditional masculine norms are at greater risk of suicide. Globally, men already have higher suicide rates than women, but this study delves further into exactly which men are at greater risk. Intense imitation of the traditional muscular role is damaging and psychologically damaging, leading to suicide.
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The tension of maintaining the traditional “masculine ideal”
Research from the University of Zurich has shown how traditional gender norms, which emphasize strength, independence and emotional control, create dangerous psychological tensions. These expectations make it harder for men to seek help and express their vulnerability, leading to pent-up emotions that build up over time. Dissociating from expressing feelings in order to appear “manly” is stressful and emotionally draining. Afraid that sharing their vulnerability will make them seem “weak” or less masculine, many men try to cope on their own, further exacerbating mental health issues.
Individual interventions
A study conducted in Switzerland surveyed around 500 men and divided them into three key groups: egalitarians, players and stoics. Egalitarians largely do not adhere to traditional masculine norms, while players focus on status and sexual success to appear masculine, and Stoics hold firmly to traditional ideals from emotional control and independence to risk-taking.
Stoics often hold back their emotions and try to appear independent, embodying the traditional masculine ideal. This extreme commitment to masculinity can lead them to take quintessentially masculine risks, such as driving fast or engaging in extreme sports. Likewise for emotions, Stoics are barely clear. The researchers found that stoics were twice as at risk as egalitarians. Stoics tend to always “solve their problem” rather than asking for help. Researchers explain how this attitude sometimes creates a tunnel vision of being alone in it without support, where suicide is the only way out.
The Stoics were significantly younger than the other groups, prompting the researchers to emphasize the importance of adolescence as a crucial phase in which boys’ perceptions are formed and nurtured. Exposure to toxic masculine ideals at this time can have serious long-term consequences that will reverberate into adulthood.
The researchers emphasized the need for individualized intervention for stoics, as their depressive symptoms often differ from the norm. Andreas Walter explained: “In these men, depression often takes the form of somatic problems, such as back pain, rather than classic symptoms. They also often express their negative feelings through aggression or risky behavior rather than talking about them.” This is a unique manifestation of depression and requires a specialized approach.
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