Xv) Impact Of 'Blokeish Or Macho' Culture

Despite the improved gender balance in many organisations, there is still a 'blokeish or macho' culture dominating in many organisations. This 'macho' culture involves not displaying and/or discussing your emotions, feelings, etc.

"...Freewheeling your way through with a smile and a shrug was a prestige symbol of earthly resilient......mainstream society still expects men to be a weird mixture of stoicism and strength......culture was 'just get on with it'......where people don't talk about feelings with strangers.....always quick to laugh it off and claim that you have got it under control......What do you have in the  worry about? Look at all the real problems other people have..."
Sam Delaney, 2021

This culture discourages taking anything, like your mental health, seriously. There is a sense of shame and embarrassment in discussing men's mental health. As a result, feelings about depression, anxiety, stress, etc are hidden, ie

"...Only 55% of UK men who experience depression will tell anyone about it......84% of men in the UK say they bottle up their emotions......45% of men in the UK have, at some point, considered taking their lives..."
Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) as quoted by Sam Delaney, 2021

Men in this culture believe that therapy is for

"...weeds and weirdos: self-indulgent naval gazers who are too busy overthinking every detail of their existence..."
Sam Delaney, 2021

However, some men are turning to therapy as a last resort, ie the gift of desperation. Therapy can help you understand yourself, your life, your worries, your behaviour, etc.

Despite consensus that discussing men's mental health problems is becoming more acceptable in society still there is a

"...playing down of the severity of our feelings from fear of looking too vulnerable or, worse, souring the atmosphere..."
Sam Delaney, 2021

"...therapy can actually be fun; reflecting on the absurd ups and downs of life..."
Sam Delaney, 2021

Therapy can help you understand yourself and identify any negative patterns of behaviour that you need to change.