What about Nontraditional Masculinities? Toward a Quantitative Model of Therapeutic New Masculinity Ideology. (October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kaplan, Danny; Rosenmann, Amir; Shuhendler, Sara
• Is Part Of: Men and masculinities. Volume 20:Number 4(2017:Oct.)
• Page Start: 393
• Page End: 426
• Publication Date: 2017-10
• Subjects: new masculinity -- profeminism -- masculinity ideology -- traditional masculinity -- metrosexuality -- measurement; Men's studies -- Periodicals; Étude de genre; Étude sur les hommes; Homme; Identité masculine; Masculinité; Perception sociale; Recherche; Rôle selon le sexe; Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); 305.3105
• DOI: 10.1177/1097184X16634797
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1097-184X

Abstract

Despite scholarly interest in changes in masculinity, no study to date offers quantitative measures of nontraditional masculinity ideologies. We identify common denominators of "new masculinity" (NM) ideology rooted in therapeutic discourse, which includes themes of authenticity and holistic self-awareness. A theoretical construct of NM was formalized from in-depth interviews and operationalized as the NM Inventory (NMI). The NMI was tested for structural and external validity in two quantitative samples of Israeli men. The inventory demonstrated discriminant validity with traditional and consumer masculinity ideologies, converged with self-labeling as feminist, and was uniquely predicted by lower levels of modern sexism. This suggests stronger associations between NM and feminist attitudes than previously argued. Lay responses confounded between self-labeling as new man and as metrosexual, echoing ambiguities in public rhetoric of NM. As a unique measure of nontraditional masculinity, the NMI can spur more systematic research into variable outcomes of contemporary understandings of masculinity.