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Cited by 291Gender Roles and Identity StudiesSuicide and Self-Harm StudiesGender and Feminist Studies

Suicidal action, emotional expression, and the performance of masculinities

Cleary, Anne·2012·Social Science & Medicine
DOI 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.08.002
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Abstract

Male rates of suicide are significantly higher than female rates in Ireland and other Western countries, yet the process and detail of men's suicidal action is relatively unknown. This is partly due to prevailing theoretical and methodological approaches. In this area of study, macro-level, quantitative approaches predominate; and theoretical frameworks tend to adopt unitary notions of men, as well as binary, oppositional, concepts of masculinity and femininity. This inquiry, based on in-depth interviews with 52 young Irish men who made a suicide attempt, examines suicidal behaviour at the individual level. The findings demonstrate that these men experienced high levels of emotional pain but had problems identifying symptoms and disclosing distress and this, along with the coping mechanisms used, was linked to a form of masculinity prevalent in their social environment. Dominant or hegemonic masculinity norms discouraged disclosure of emotional vulnerability, and participants used alcohol and drugs to cope - which exacerbated and prolonged their distress. Over time this led to a situation where they felt their options had narrowed, and suicidal action represented a way out of their difficulties. These men experienced significant, long-lasting, emotional pain but, in the context of lives lived in environments where prevailing constructions of masculinity constrained its expression, they opted for suicide rather than disclose distress and seek help. Underpinning this study is a presumption that binary notions of male and female emotions lack substance, but that the expression of emotions is gender-specific and constrained in some social localities.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.08.002

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  • The literature confirms that help-seeking is challenging for males, generally due to social constructs of masculinity.

    “The literature confirmed that help-seeking was found to be challenging for males, however it was generally due to social constructs of masculinity”

    From The Disclosure Experiences of Male Child Sexual Abuse Survivors (2016) · cites this paper as Cleary, 2012

  • In cultures or subcultures with strong traditional male norms, failure to meet masculine expectations is closely tied to suicide as a way of restoring honor.

    “For instance, research in cultures or subcultures with strong traditional male norms evince far more “honor” suicides as failure to meet masculine expectations are closely tied to suicide as a way of restoring honor (Adinkrah, 2012; Cleary, 2012).”

    From The Social Roots of Suicide: Theorizing How the External Social World Matters to Suicide and Suicide Prevention (2021) · cites this paper as Cleary, 2012

  • These characteristics of dominant masculinity can be positive and adaptive but may also contribute to behaviours and cognitions that increase suicide risk.

    “These characteristics can be positive and adaptive in many ways, but may also contribute to behaviours and cognitions that increase suicide risk [7].”

    From Masculinity and suicidal thinking (2017) · cites this paper as [7]

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Authors
Cleary, A.
Affiliations
University College Dublin (IE)
Corresponding author
Cleary, Anne
Venue
Social Science & Medicine
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2012-02
Volume
74
Issue
4
Pages
498-505
ISSN
0277-9536 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.08.002
OpenAlex
W2010687070
Cited by
291
References
72
Citations by year
2026: 23 · 2025: 17 · 2024: 27 · 2023: 16 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 31 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 17 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 19 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 6 · 2012: 6
FWCI
19.59
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Social Science & Medicine (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender Roles and Identity Studies
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
  • Social Sciences › Gender Studies › Gender and Feminist Studies
Keywords
male suicide, suicide attempts, masculinity, hegemonic masculinity, emotional expression, emotional pain, coping strategies, alcohol and drug use, gender and emotion, young men
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Educational Status, Emotions, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Ireland, Male, Poverty, Stress, Psychological, Suicide, Attempted, Health Behavior, Substance-Related Disorders, Young Adult, Masculinity

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