ManTalk: Fraternity Men and Masculinity

Shane McKee

A majority of college men struggle to successfully navigate the college environment and their newfound independence and freedom upon leaving home for the first time. Although recent research makes it clear that there is a college male crisis within higher education (Kimmel, 2004) and men are more likely to struggle navigating their identity and the college environment there has been a lack of programs and services aimed at helping men be more successful in both endeavors (O'Neil & Casper, 2011). ManTalk, a men's growth group, is my response to the call for more programmatic opportunities and services that help men explore their masculinity. This qualitatively study analyzes fifteen fraternity men's experiences in a ten-week men's growth group to better understand how they made meaning of the experience and how it may have shaped their understanding of their masculinity, its intersections, and its impact on their lives as men. A multi-dimensional theoretical framework combining student development theory, critical masculinity, and critical pedagogy guides the study and frames the major themes that emerged: masculinity and intrapersonal intersections, masculinity and relationships, and making meaning of the overall experience. The major themes grew out of an in-depth analysis of participant interviews, participant reflection journals, researcher fieldnotes, and an examination of the conversations included in each of the ten ManTalk sessions. The findings suggest that through the ManTalk experience the participants came to develop a more critical awareness of their masculinity and its intrapersonal intersections (race, gender and sexual orientation, body image, feelings and emotions, and self-esteem and self-awareness) as well as its interpersonal intersections (relationships). The findings also show that the participants made meaning of the totality of their experience through their biggest lessons learned, their increasing comfort with critical conversations, their action and application of what they learned and discussed, and as a result of an ever-changing group dynamic. The study findings can serve as a guidepost for practitioners interested in programming designed to help college men navigate their masculinity, and for those interested in exploring different aspects of masculine identity development within practice and research.

ManTalk: Fraternity Men and Masculinity

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