Gender Role Strain Paradigm
...actions to disappointments are main reasons for aggressive behaviors within this group. The group setting provided an environment where the boys would not feel threatened, allowing them to openly express themselves without feeling threatened. Five by seven cards with topics listed on them were used to engage discussion within the group. At the onset of the session, a member would choose a card, and the boys would then converse about it. In the beginning, impersonal topics such as “sports,” were discussed. Later, as the group’s reluctance to discuss topics diminished, more personal topics were brought up. Dimensions of the Male Role Norms Inventory created by Levant and Fisher such as Restrictive Emotionality, Non relational Attitudes towards Sex, and Achievement/Status were discussed by the group. Restrictive Emotionality was discussed when a boy chose the card “siblings.” He told a story about one day when he told his brother he loved him, his brother responded by punching him. The boy telling the story thought he deserved it. Another boy questioned his actions, noting that he sounded “gay.” The boy responded by asking the question, “What if he died tomorrow?” There was no reply for a while until, one boy expressed, “I’ve never told my father I love him – you just don’t do that.” This conversation deeply involves the concept of insecurity among men. On another night, the concept of Non relational attitudes was discussed. The boys told each other of their best ways to get girls and their sexual histories were exposed. One boy explained his desire to move from one woman to the next, and felt that he is too young to be tied down to one woman, which results in many of the being upset after they are left by him. The therapist asked what the boy was in search of. He then openly answered, “sex.” He backed up his statement by saying that girls often come and go, which is why you must realize that your friends are important and will always be there. Another boy, who was the only one in the group in a serious relationship, replied that his girlfriend is his best friend and usually the only one there for him many times. The therapist spurred more conversation by asking whether they thought sex with some one you love is better than some one you do not. The boy in the relationship responded that it was while the other insisted he probably did not what it was like otherwise. ‘ Aggression and Extreme Self-Reliance was noted as being discussed by the group often. Many of the member explained that it often was unavoidable. One boy was confronted at a movie theatre by many other boys. He knew he would not have a chance to win this...