How do men connect?

While the importance of social connections and strong supportive networks for improving mental health and well-being is well documented, there has been little research into men’s social support networks or how men seek social support.

A paper published in 2018 (Masculinity, Social Connectedness, and Mental Health: Men’s Diverse Patterns of Practice) starts to add some in-depth understanding of the complex nature of men’s social connections and the ways in which the interplay between masculinity and men’s social connections can impact men’s mental health.

The findings provide rich insights into men’s diverse patterns of practice with respect to seeking or mobilising social support. While some men differentiated between their social connections with men and women, others experienced difficulties in mobilising support from existing connections. Some men maintained a desire to be independent, rejecting the need for social support, whereas others established support networks from which they could actively seek support.

Overall, the findings suggest that patterns of social connectedness among men are diverse. This challenges the social science literature that frames all men’s social relationships as being largely instrumental, and men as less able and less interested than women in building emotional and supportive relationships with others. The simple finding from this research on promoting men’s social connectedness

and mental health is that “no one size fits all”.

All men are not the same and we should not expect men, as diverse as they are, to act the same. Once we accept that no one characteristic defines a person, not even sex or gender, we can start to develop individualised approaches to meeting their needs.

If you are interested in counselling services for you or someone you know please make a booking here