The danger of stereotypes and how they affect boys

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Transcription:

There is an enormous amount of pressure on boys to adopt gender stereotypical behavior for boys; what I call the playbook for manhood. That pressure comes from all directions; from parents, from teachers, from coaches, from the media, and from peers. The problem with that is that gender stereotypical boys are the very thing that increase boys risk. We know from good research, that boys who have more stereotypical ideas about how a boy or man should be, have greater risk. Here's what happens. If a boy learns all the lessons of boyhood and plays by the rules, he'll take risks without concern for his safety. He will think he is invulnerable to any kind of harm. He'll think he's self-sufficient and not need any help. He'll have little knowledge about health. He will keep his feelings to himself, with the exception of anger. He'll see violence as a normal part of everyday life. Those are some of the rules in the playbook of manhood. That's what we teach our sons. Boys are often ridiculed if they don't play by those rules. It is important, as parents, we recognize all of the pressure that these boys life with, our sons live with every day.

Video Categories: ALL PARENTS, Family Life, Gender Differences

Will Courtenay, PhD Psychotherapist, shares advice for parents on how stereotypes can affect boys and the dangers that the pressure of conforming to them can lead to

Transcript

Expert Bio

Will Courtenay, PhD

Psychotherapist

Dr. Will Courtenay, “The Men’s Doc,” is an internationally recognized expert in helping boys, men and fathers, and a psychotherapist, consultant, distinguished author, researcher, keynote speaker, radio host, and consultant to and speaker at schools and universities. His new book is titled Dying To Be Men. The American Psychological Association calls him, “a leading psychologist in the field of masculinity” and Who’s Who in America calls him a “foremost achiever in his field.” As one of the world’s leading innovators in the health of boys and men, he has a documented history of success in shaping and promoting this new field, as well as new perspectives on fatherhood, boyhood, and masculinity. Dr. Courtenay received his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley and has served on the clinical faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the University of California, San Francisco, Medical School. He is the Founding Editor of the International Journal of Men's Health. Dr. Courtenay is a powerful, effective voice about boys and men, heard nationally on radio and television – including CNN, Good Morning America, World News, Fox News, ABC News, NBC News – and seen in print – including NY Times, LA Times, Wall Street Journal, U.S. News & World Report, NPR, Newsweek, USA Today, and Chicago Tribune. Dr. Courtenay is a contributor to Esquire Magazine.