The Effects of Hypermasculinity on Boys’ Emotional Development

Abstract

This is a qualitative, quasi-experimental study into the effects on the nature of the emotional development of boys in a society that values hypermasculinity. The research used archetypal and symbolic images from a 10,000-year-old folk-myth that originated in the islands of the far South Pacific, called the Half-Boy Story, integrated with the stories of study participants, to explore the emotional development of boys in a modern society that values hypermasculinity. The exploration will be through the lens of several theoretical perspectives and in-depth interviews. The effects of hypermasculinity on the boys as they become men and the impact it has on society will be addressed. The goal is to enable transformation towards individuation and wholeness for boys and young men in today’s society. Original data collection was completed with 3 participants using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) as the research methodology used. This methodology allows research to be based upon individuals’ subjective personal experiences in comparison to the experiences of the other participants. This methodology uses the individual’s experiences and attempts to qualify those experiences compared to other participants. The researcher used hermeneutics to interpret each of the participants’ experiences.