'What defines a man?': Perspectives of African American men on the components and consequences of manhood

Psychology of Men and Masculinity

Volumn 19, Issue 1, 2018, Pages 78-88

  Griffith, Derek M ^a   Cornish, Emily K ^a  

^a VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

African American; Manhood; Masculinity; Men's health; Stress

Indexed keywords

ADULT; AFRICAN AMERICAN; CULTURAL VALUE; FEMALE; HUMAN; INTERVIEW; MAJOR CLINICAL STUDY; MALE; MASCULINITY; MEN'S HEALTH; MIDDLE AGED; PSYCINFO; STRESS; UNITED STATES;

EID: 85007202932     PISSN: 15249220     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1037/men0000083     Document Type: Article

References (81)

1. Allen, J. O., Griffith, D. M., & Gaines, H. C. (2013). "She looks out for the meals, period": African American men's perceptions of how their wives influence their eating behavior and dietary health. Health Psychology: Official Journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 32, 447-455.
2. Banyard, V. L., & Miller, K. E. (1998). The powerful potential of qualitative research for community psychology. American Journal of Community Psychology, 26, 485-505. http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A: 1022136821013
3. Black, H. K., & Rubinstein, R. L. (2009). The effect of suffering on generativity: Accounts of elderly African American men. The Journals of Gerontology: Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 64B, 296-303. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/geronb/gbn012
4. Bowman, P. J. (1989). Research perspectives on Black men: Role strain and adaptation across the adult life cycle. In R. L. Jones (Ed.), Black adult development and aging (pp. 117-150). Berkeley, CA: Cobb & Henry.
5. Bowman, P. J., & Bowman, P. J. (1988). Postindustrial displacement and family role strains: Challenges to the black family. In P. Voydanoff & L. C. Majka (Eds.), Families and economic distress: Coping strategies and social policy (pp. 75-96). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
6. Bowman, P. J., & Bowman, P. J. (1990). Coping with provider role strain: Adaptive cultural resources among Black husband-fathers. Journal of Black Psychology, 16, 1-21. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/00957984 900162002
7. Bowman, P. J., Bowman, P. J., & Sanders, R. (1998). Unmarried African American fathers: A comparative life span analysis. Journal of Comparative Family Studies, 29, 39-56.
8. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3, 77-101. http://dx.doi.org/10 .1191/1478088706qp063oa
9. Cazenave, N. A. (1979). Middle-income Black fathers: An analysis of the provider role. The Family Coordinator, 28, 583-593. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.2307/583522
10. Cazenave, N. A. (1981). Black men in America: The quest for manhood. In H. P. McAdoo (Ed.), Black families (pp. 176-185). Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
11. Coles, T. (2008). Finding space in the field of masculinity: Lived experiences of men's masculinities. Journal of Sociology, 44, 233-248. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1177/1440783308092882
12. Coles, T. (2009). Negotiating the field of masculinity: The production and reproduction of multiple dominant masculinities. Men and Masculinities, 12, 30-44. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1097184X07309502
13. Connell, R. W. (1995). Masculinities. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.
14. Connell, R. W., & Messerschmidt, J. W. (2005). Hegemonic masculinity: Rethinking the concept. Gender & Society, 19, 829-859. http://dx.doi .org/10.1177/0891243205278639
15. Corbin, J., & Strauss, A. (2014). Basics of qualitative research: Techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
16. Courtenay, W. (2002). A global perspective on the field of men's health: An editorial. International Journal of Men's Health, 1, 1-13. http://dx .doi.org/10.3149/jmh.0101.1
17. Creighton, G., & Oliffe, J. L. (2010). Theorising masculinities and men's health: A brief history with a view to practice. Health Sociology Review, 19, 409-418. http://dx.doi.org/10.5172/hesr.2010.19.4.409
18. Creswell, J. (1998). Qualitative inquiry and research design. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
19. Davidson County Health Department. (2014). Healthy Nashville. Retrieved from http://www.healthynashville.org/modules.php?opmodload&nameNS-Indicator&fileindex&groupcategory&breakoutall
20. de Visser, R. O., & McDonnell, E. J. (2013). "Man points": Masculine capital and young men's health. Health Psychology, 32, 5-14. http://dx .doi.org/10.1037/a0029045
21. Ellis, K. R., Griffith, D. M., Allen, J. O., Thorpe, R. J., Jr., & Bruce, M. A. (2015). "If you do nothing about stress, the next thing you know, you're shattered": Perspectives on African American men's stress, coping and health from African American men and key women in their lives. Social Science & Medicine, 139, 107-114.
22. Estrada, F., & Arciniega, G. M. (2015). Positive masculinity among Latino men and the direct and indirect effects on well-being. Journal of Multicultural Counseling and Development, 43, 191-205. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1002/jmcd.12014
23. Ferber, A. L. (2007). The construction of black masculinity: White supremacy now and then. Journal of Sport & Social Issues, 31, 11-24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0193723506296829
24. Fereday, J., & Muir-Cochrane, E. (2008). Demonstrating rigor using thematic analysis: A hybrid approach of inductive and deductive coding and theme development. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 5, 80-92.
25. Ford, C. L., & Harawa, N. T. (2010). A new conceptualization of ethnicity for social epidemiologic and health equity research. Social Science & Medicine, 71, 251-258. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.04 .008
26. Ford, K. A. (2011). Doing fake masculinity, being real men: Present and future constructions of self among black college men. Symbolic Interaction, 34, 38-62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/si.2011.34.1.38
27. Gary, F. A., Griffith, D. M., & Hartfield, J. A. (2016). Collateral TA materials for community trauma #7: Law enforcement encounters and historical trauma in the African-American community: An overdue conversation (Report for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Office of Behavioral Health Equity). Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Office of Behavioral Health Equity.
28. Gordon, D. M., Hawes, S. W., Reid, A. E., Callands, T. A., Magriples, U., Divney, A., Kershaw, T. (2013). The many faces of manhood: Examining masculine norms and health behaviors of young fathers across race. American Journal of Men's Health, 7, 394-401. http://dx .doi.org/10.1177/1557988313476540
29. Gough, B. (2006). Try to be healthy, but don't forgo your masculinity: Deconstructing men's health discourse in the media. Social Science & Medicine, 63, 2476-2488. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2006 .06.004
30. Gough, B., & Conner, M. T. (2006). Barriers to healthy eating amongst men: A qualitative analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 62, 387-395. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.05.032
31. Gough, B., Hall, M., & Seymour-Smith, S. (2014). Straight guys do wear make-up: Contemporary masculinities and investment in appearance. In S. Roberts (Ed.), Debating modern masculinities: Change, continuity, crisis? (pp. 106-124). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.
32. Gough, B., Robertson, S., & Robinson, M. (2016). Men,'masculinity'and mental health: Critical reflections. In J. Gideon (Ed.), Handbook on gender and health (pp. 134-137). London, UK: Edward Elgar.
33. Griffith, D. M. (2012). An intersectional approach to men's health. Journal of Men's Health, 9, 106-112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jomh.2012.03 .003
34. Griffith, D. M. (2015). "I AM a man": Manhood, minority men's health and health equity. Ethnicity & Disease, 25, 287-293. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.18865/ed.25.3.287
35. Griffith, D. M., Allen, J. O., Johnson-Lawrence, V., & Langford, A. (2014). Men on the Move: A pilot program to increase physical activity among African American men. Health Education & Behavior: The Official Publication of the Society for Public Health Education, 41, 164-172.
36. Griffith, D. M., Brinkley-Rubinstein, L., Bruce, M. A., Thorpe, R. J., Jr., & Metzl, J. M. (2015). The interdependence of African American men's definitions of manhood and health. Family & Community Health: The Journal of Health Promotion & Maintenance, 38, 284-296. http://dx .doi.org/10.1097/FCH.0000000000000079
37. Griffith, D. M., Cornish, E. K., McKissic, S. A., & Dean, D. A. L. (2016). Differences in perceptions of the food environment between African American men who did and did not consume recommended levels of fruits and vegetables. Health Education & Behavior. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1090198115626923
38. Griffith, D. M., Ellis, K. R., & Allen, J. O. (2013). An intersectional approach to social determinants of stress for African American men: Men's and women's perspectives. American Journal of Men's Health, 7, 19S-30S. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1557988313480227
39. Griffith, D. M., Ellis, K. R., & Ober Allen, J. (2012). How does health information influence African American men's health behavior? American Journal of Men's Health, 6, 156-163. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/ 1557988311426910
40. Griffith, D. M., Gunter, K., & Allen, J. O. (2011). Male gender role strain as a barrier to African American men's physical activity. Health Education & Behavior, 38, 482-491. http://dx.doi.org/10 .1177/1090198110383660
41. Griffith, D. M., Gunter, K., & Watkins, D. C. (2012). Measuring masculinity in research on men of color: findings and future directions. American Journal of Public Health, 102(S2), S187-S194.
42. Griffith, D. M., & Johnson, J. L. (2012). Implications of racism for African American Men's cancer risk, morbidity and mortality. In H. M. Treadwell, C. Xanthos & K. B. Holden (Eds.), Social Determinants of Health among African-American Men (pp. 21-38). San Francisco, California: Wiley.
43. Griffith, D. M., King, A., & Ober Allen, J. (2013). Male peer influence on African American men's motivation for physical activity: Men's and women's perspectives. American Journal of Men's Health, 7, 169-178. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1557988312465887
44. Griffith, D. M., Mason, M. A., Rodela, M., Matthews, D. D., Tran, A., Royster, M., Eng, E. (2007). A structural approach to examining prostate cancer risk for rural southern African American men. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 18(Suppl.), 73-101. http:// dx.doi.org/10.1353/hpu.2007.0121
45. Griffith, D. M., Wooley, A. M., & Allen, J. O. (2013). "I'm ready to eat and grab whatever I can get": Determinants and patterns of African American men's eating practices. Health Promotion Practice, 14, 181-188. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1524839912437789
46. Hammond, W. P., & Mattis, J. S. (2005). Being a man about it: Manhood meaning among African American men. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 6, 114-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/1524-9220.6.2.114
47. Harper, S. R. (2004). The measure of a man: Conceptualizations of masculinity among high-achieving African American male college students. Berkeley Journal of Sociology, 48, 89-107.
48. Harper, S. R., & Harris, F., III. (2010). College men and masculinities: Theory, research, and implications for practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
49. Hearn, J. (2004). From hegemonic masculinity to the hegemony of men. Feminist Theory, 5, 49-72. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/146470010 4040813
50. Hughes, D. L., & DuMont, K. (2002). Using focus groups to facilitate culturally anchored research. Ecological research to promote social change (pp. 257-289). New York, NY: Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10 .1007/978-1-4615-0565-5_11
51. Hunter, A. G., & Davis, J. E. (1992). Constructing gender: An exploration of Afro-American men's conceptualization of manhood. Gender & Society, 6, 464-479. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/089124392006003007
52. Hunter, A. G., & Davis, J. E. (1994). Hidden voices of Black men: The meaning, structure, and complexity of manhood. Journal of Black Studies, 25, 20-40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/002193479402500102
53. Hurtado, A., & Sinha, M. (2008). More than men: Latino feminist masculinities and intersectionality. Sex Roles, 59, 337-349. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1007/s11199-008-9405-7
54. Hutchinson, E. O. (1996). The assassination of the Black male image. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.
55. Isaacs, J., Sawhill, I., & Haskins, R. (2007). Getting ahead or losing ground: Economic mobility in America. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
56. Jackson, B. A., & Harvey Wingfield, A. (2013). Getting angry to get ahead: Black college men, emotional performance, and encouraging respectable masculinity. Symbolic Interaction, 36, 275-292. http://dx.doi.org/10 .1002/symb.63
57. Jefferson, T. (2002). Subordinating hegemonic masculinity. Theoretical Criminology, 6, 63-88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/136248060200600103
58. Kimmel, M. S. (2006). Manhood in America: A cultural history. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
59. Lusher, D., & Robins, G. (2009). Hegemonic and other masculinities in local social contexts. Men and Masculinities, 11, 387-423. http://dx.doi .org/10.1177/1097184X06298776
60. Majors, R., & Billson, J. M. (1993). Cool pose: The dilemmas of Black manhood in America. New York, NY: Touchstone.
61. Miles, M. B., & Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
62. Moynihan, D. P. (1965). Employment, income, and the ordeal of the Negro family. Daedalus, 94, 745-770.
63. Neal, M. A. (2005). New black man. New York, NY: Routledge.
64. Newman, B. M., & Newman, P. R. (2009). Middle adulthood. In B. M. Newman & P. R. Newman (Eds.), Development through life: A psychosocial approach (9th ed., pp. 452-491). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
65. O'Brien, R., Hunt, K., & Hart, G. (2005). 'It's caveman stuff, but that is to a certain extent how guys still operate': Men's accounts of masculinity and help seeking. Social Science & Medicine, 61, 503-516. http://dx.doi .org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.12.008
66. Oliffe, J. L., Grewal, S., Bottorff, J. L., Luke, H., & Toor, H. (2007). Elderly South Asian Canadian immigrant men: Confirming and disrupting dominant discourses about masculinity and men's health. Family & Community Health: The Journal of Health Promotion & Maintenance, 30, 224-236. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.FCH.0000277765.54784.46
67. Pease, B. (2009). Racialised masculinities and the health of immigrant and refugee men. In A. Broom & E. P. Tovey (Eds.), Men's health: Body, identity and context (pp. 182-201). Chichester, UK: Wiley and Sons.
68. Pieterse, A. L., & Carter, R. T. (2007). An examination of the relationship between general life stress, racism-related stress, and psychological health among Black men. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54, 101-109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.54.1.101
69. Ratner, C. (2014). Macro cultural psychology. In T. Teo (Ed.), Encyclopedia of critical psychology (pp. 1095-1111). New York, NY: Springer. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5583-7_413
70. Risman, B. J., & Davis, G. (2013). From sex roles to gender structure. Current Sociology, 61, 733-755.
71. Robertson, S. (2006). "I've been like a coiled spring this last week": Embodied masculinity and health. Sociology of Health & Illness, 28, 433-456. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9566.2006.00500.x
72. Robertson, S., & Monaghan, L. F. (2012). Embodied heterosexual masculinities, Pt. 2: Foregrounding men's health and emotions. Sociology Compass, 6, 151-165. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9020.2011 .00443.x
73. Robertson, S., Williams, B., & Oliffe, J. (2016). The case for retaining a focus on "masculinities" in men's health research. International Journal of Men's Health, 15, 52-67.
74. Robinson, M., & Robertson, S. (2014). Challenging the field: Bourdieu and men's health. Social Theory & Health, 12, 339-360. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1057/sth.2014.8
75. Summers, M. A. (2004). Manliness and its discontents: The Black middleclass and the transformation of masculinity, 1900-1930. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.
76. Summers, M. (2013). Manhood rights in the age of Jim Crow: Evaluating end-of-men claims in the context of African American history. Boston University Law Review/Boston University School of Law, 93, 745-767.
77. U.S. Census Bureau. (2013). American Community Survey Demographic and Housing Estimates 2009-2013. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/ productview.xhtml?srcCF
78. Vandello, J. A., & Bosson, J. K. (2013). Hard won and easily lost: A review and synthesis of theory and research on precarious manhood. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 14, 101-113. http://dx.doi.org/10 .1037/a0029826
79. Whitehead, T. L. (1997). Urban low-income African American men, HIV/ AIDS, and gender identity. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 11, 411-447. http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/maq.1997.11.4.411
80. Whitehead, T. L., Peterson, J., & Kaljee, L. (1994). The "hustle": Socioeconomic deprivation, urban drug trafficking, and low-income, African-American male gender identity. Pediatrics, 93, 1050-1054.
81. Wingfield, A. H., & Wingfield, J. H. (2014). When visibility hurts and helps: How intersections of race and gender shape Black professional men's experiences with tokenization. Cultural Diversity and Ethnic Minority Psychology, 20, 483-490. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0035761