Strong, supportive social relationships are vital to well-being. Recent trends in the United States, however indicate that the amount of time adults spend with friends is declining at an alarming rate, with American’s spending less than half the amount of time they spent with friends two decades ago.
Gender socialization, the process by which individuals internalize social norms about gender, results in men tending to value strength, self-reliance, and emotional control in themselves. These tendencies can make engaging in the communication and vulnerability needed to build connection feel unfamiliar or difficult. While social isolation, loneliness, and the work of building friendships are not challenges exclusive to men, the obstacles men encounter in these areas often take on distinct, gender-related dimensions.
How then can clinicians better understand and support men in their friendships? This presentation will cover: how men of marginalized identities stand to benefit from close relationship, what men see as the strengths of their friendships, and provide clinicians with practical ways to support men in their pursuit and maintenance of meaningful connections. Clinical strategies about how to normalize the challenges men face when it comes to friendships and listen for the strengths that men value in their friendships will be discussed.
At the end of the talk, participants will be able to:
Identify three nation-wide trends associated with men’s relationships friendships
Identify and name at least three evidence-based benefits of men’s friendships
Provide two ways of normalizing men’s concerns about friendships
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