Masculinity - what it is, masculine traits and qualities

The expression of masculinity is as unique among people as the individual fingerprint on each person's hand.

Masculinity is the behavioral and mental characteristics inherent in the male sex. Therefore, this is a gender characteristic, that is, it implies the difference between men and women. A man's masculinity comes from his body, from his male organs.

It is already present in every man. Each person has their own and unique feature, and everyone expresses it to varying degrees.

A man should not delve into his head and think over every step about how a real man acts. There are no secret codes or rules that a man follows.

Common masculine traits:

command;
steadfastness;
confidence;
centeredness (the ability to concentrate as much as possible on one thing);
determination;
dominance;
fearlessness;
feeling of freedom;
equilibrium;
focus;
determination;
congruence (read more about congruence and comfort with yourself at the link).

All these traits also relate to those very masculine character traits that women like and attract.

How society imposes the wrong meaning on a concept and leads us by the nose

All signs of expressing masculinity are behavioral signs, not visual signs .

Society and mass media impose the opposite on people - an erroneous understanding of the term. It knows nothing about what masculinity is.

Society does not want men to develop this trait. It wants only one thing: for men not to change and remain the same as they are now.

Society imposes a superficial value system on men. That is, he wants to introduce a social program into our heads that supposedly confidence depends on visual signs. Illusions are implanted into our heads, and people believe in them.
Society is trying to impose on us that masculinity depends on appearance and money. This is wrong. In fact, even if a guy has a model appearance, this does not help strengthen his inner core. Likewise, the masculine features of a man’s face do not mean anything. After all, it's just appearance.
Society imposes the illusion on guys that supposedly being a real man means being romantic with girls and pleasing them, buying them flowers. If a girl leaves somewhere, then supposedly you have to pick her up in a car and take her wherever she wants.

For example , a typical example of a film that enforces the wrong behavior of men with girls is the film “The Hitch Method”. This is one of the strangest films where a guy chases a girl and studies her lifestyle for about a month in order to get closer.

Such films confuse men, and they do not know how to communicate with girls so that they later fall in love with each other and everything is fine with them.

Most people nowadays are victims of external circumstances, and they have lost themselves.

Distinguish between the real and the false and break out of the herd mentality.

Test everything from your own experience and look at the world with your own eyes. Don't always trust second-hand experience.
Realize that not everything in this world works correctly and not everything is in your favor . It will be hard to understand because everyone believes otherwise. This is social programming.
Believe and realize that you can become better, happier. And for this, work on yourself. You must know everything about how to motivate yourself to study and develop yourself.

Stress and men's health

Many of the ideas about masculinity are harmful. Masculinity always implies hierarchy and competition, and if there is competition and struggle, then in this struggle there are always losers. There are few people at the top of the pyramid, and the less successful you are, the worse your position in society. In addition, masculinity includes a leadership position towards women. And when women are not at all eager to take such a position, it adds stress.

This is believed to be reflected in the suicide rate. Every failure is perceived as psychological humiliation, as “unmasking.” The world average shows that men commit suicide 1.8 times more often than women. In Russia, the situation is even worse: men commit suicide 6.5 times more often than women.

Stereotypes and misunderstandings of the term

Masculinity in psychology is not external or superficial signs.

stereotypes and examples of misunderstandings of masculinity can be identified

Apparently you must have a very deep voice.
An erroneous portrait is drawn of a man who is always ready to fight and is in the mood for a fight.
It is a mistake to believe that a man has to be bad or a scoundrel.
Society imposes that this is typical only for macho men.
Allegedly, a man must have a beard and body hair.
Supposedly it is only characteristic of pumped up and healthy muscular men.
Supposedly such a man should have no emotions and should be completely cold-blooded and emotionless.

There's nothing wrong with having a bad voice. But a man should not be arrogant and should not have inflated self-esteem and ambition.

A masculine man is not one who pretends to be a tough guy. You can read more about arrogance and ego

But these days, especially the mass media, have simply destroyed the concept of masculinity and erased the true meaning of this concept. Signs of masculinity have come to be considered and valued in ways that are not what they really need.

How masculinity has changed in Russia over the past 30 years

In the 1990s, new types of successful masculinity emerged, such as the masculinity of the crime boss. It was bright, but quickly faded away. At the beginning of the 2000s, the state began to develop a gender policy; it was aimed mainly at women - due to concerns about the birth rate. Russia today is an aging country - this is a serious economic problem. Therefore, there was an appeal to women, posters “The country needs your records,” which depicted a woman with three children.

As for women, do they have it?

women also . But women have very little masculinity, because the bodies of men and women are designed differently.

Women do not have male organs that contribute to the development of masculinity.

A woman is built differently , she has completely different reactions to things, a different body. She has completely different hormones, feelings and emotions and a completely different dynamic in general.

Women have feminine energy, the exact opposite of masculine .

Women are characterized by the following qualities:

sensuality;
emotionality;
tenderness.

Women have completely different psychology, biology and chemistry.

The masculine changes along with the feminine

For quite a long time, the role of the father was considered rather distant: he feeds the family, is a moral authority for children, but does not bother with them. Now this situation is changing: many men enjoy spending time with their children and performing various tasks of raising and caring for them. Moreover, communication with children can be an important emotional resource for a modern man.

However, there are also negative sides. Women are starting to work in greater numbers and can already live independently. The man ceased to be something necessary, and the question of the quality of the relationship arose. The requirements for men are also not necessarily realistic - they intertwine traditional requirements for masculinity (feeding the family, higher male salaries) and a bunch of new ones: emotional partnership, involved fatherhood, sexual claims. This often contradicts each other and leads to an increase in the number of divorces.

Have steadfastness

A man’s steadfastness is balance and non-reaction to all sorts of external little things around him. This means that he walks through the world with ease.

You can feel an unwavering energy in your body, it must come from within and you express it through words and actions.

The following understandings will help you achieve steadfastness:

Don't take your condition from outside or outside, take it from within. After all, the atmosphere of the environment can be chaotic and disorderly. You shouldn't depend on her. And for this, do not absorb the state from the outside, take the necessary state from yourself.
Approve yourself and do not seek your approval in the eyes of others. You should not seek approval and encouragement from others at all. And then you won’t be hurt by other people’s barbs. And even if someone tries to be rude, you always know how to respond beautifully to an insult and remain steadfast.
You shouldn't worry about how you look. Your steadfastness will be easily broken if it depends on how you look or how your hair is combed on your head.
Project and express yourself better than you did before. Strive to be your best self.

What is masculinity?

Masculinity is a set of physical characteristics and behaviors that are generally considered masculine. This concept combines both the biological properties of the male body and psyche, as well as the sociocultural characteristics of behavior and appearance associated with the perception of men in modern society. The concept of masculinity covers both secondary sexual characteristics (male body type, hair, coarse facial features), appearance (stubble, short haircut), and behavioral characteristics (courage, rudeness, unceremoniousness).

Masculinity should not be confused with manliness. Masculinity usually means a set of positive character traits, such as courage, determination, self-confidence and self-confidence. And if, for example, a woman is called courageous, then these are precisely the traits that are meant. Masculinity also implies unpleasant features of male behavior : sloppiness, rudeness, smells of fumes and tobacco.

Society plays a significant role in understanding which features of appearance and behavior should be considered masculine and which are feminine. For example, in Ancient Greece, gods and heroes of myths were usually depicted as slender, beardless young men without excess body hair.

The opposite of masculinity is femininity (or femininity) - a set of external signs, character traits and behavior characteristic of women. Every person combines masculinity and femininity, and the difference is only in proportions. For example, for a man, the habit of taking care of his appearance is considered a sign of femininity. Moreover, such behavior does not in any way detract from his masculinity. Similarly, a woman can demonstrate signs of masculinity in behavior, being rude and unceremonious, but at the same time maintaining femininity in appearance.

Be purposeful, follow your path and according to your intentions

To be purposeful means to have your own path in life and your own goal. As a man, you should not be tossed around like a little leaf in the wind.

Most people do not know why they live, and why they do certain things.

The following understandings will help you achieve purposefulness:

To be purposeful and achieve a goal means that you know what you are doing and why you are doing it and, approaching the goal, you do not ask permission from anyone.
You must know your purpose in this world. From the very morning, as soon as you woke up.
You go your own way and you know your way.
You must always take responsibility for yourself and your actions. The masculine type of man is not afraid to take responsibility for his actions and actions.

To achieve all your goals, you can read our article on how to get rid of laziness once and for all.

Why men don't like the idea of gender equality

Not everyone understands how gender equality works. So far, it turns out that many additional claims are made against men, but the responsibilities that they had before are not removed from them. Men are still expected to be economically successful, they are still drafted into the army, they are still expected to protect someone by force.

Walk through the world easily and be internally free, throw away everything unnecessary

Masculine energy implies that you have achieved freedom.

The following understandings and states can help achieve freedom:

You don't take everything seriously and to heart.
Have a sense of permission to do what you want..
You don't attach importance to other people's opinions.
Stop identifying yourself with a person , be an individual.
Do what you love to do, find a hobby you love . But do it all for yourself. You can forget about your passivity and lethargy, overcome apathy and realize your desires.
Don't be afraid of other people's judgement. The essence of masculine culture is that a man does not delve into his own head and does not worry about what others think of him.
You don't force things and let everything be . You do not resist anything and accept any events that the Universe gives you. You must be fearless and know everything about how to resolve conflicts with men peacefully.

No matter what happens, you must remain relaxed.

These things cannot be faked.

If someone tries to fake freedom , it will have bad consequences. Because people see and feel that you are doing it for approval, not as an expression of true freedom.

It is inner freedom that makes actors great.

The key is to let go of everything that is holding you back.

In our new article we talk in more detail about how to overcome shyness and self-doubt.

These 3 basic principles and the following exercises will answer your questions about how to develop masculinity.

How is masculinity formed?

Understanding masculinity in a particular society depends on many cultural and historical factors. Some traits may be common to all cultures, but most of them are the result of traditions and stereotypes. As a result, in some societies masculinity is more strongly expressed, but there are also societies where there is a noticeably expressed femininity in male behavior.

Masculinity can be influenced by ethnic factors. It is unlikely that anyone will be surprised by the statement that some nations are characterized by masculine features of appearance, for example, thick black body hair and rough facial features. This is also noted in their behavior, since representatives of these nations usually behave more decisively and self-confidently.

Also, the level of masculinity is influenced by a person’s class affiliation, his upbringing and education. As a rule, men from wealthy families with a good upbringing are characterized by the presence of feminine traits, such as cleanliness, increased attention to their own appearance, politeness and tact in communication.

To better understand what masculinity is and how it is formed, it is important to take into account the fact that social environment and upbringing can lead to women demonstrating more masculine behavior than men. This is especially common in the modern world, in which the boundaries between masculinity and femininity are gradually becoming blurred.

Exercises to help you feel freer and develop the 3rd principle of energy

The following 2 exercises will help you develop the third basic principle of masculine energy, the essence of which is to become freer.

Scream as loud as you can in a crowded place

The point is that you just scream at the top of your voice in a crowded place.

People will look at you and they might think you're crazy, but it doesn't matter.

The benefit of the exercise is that you break through the wall that is holding you back. A confident voice appears, you don’t care about other people’s opinions, and the very masculine qualities that women value are revealed.

Psychological difference between the sexes

Gender identity is a person’s self-perception as a representative of the male or female gender. Gender is a set of social, psychological characteristics, that is, public ideas about male and female roles. It is important not to confuse this with male and female genders. Sex is a set of biological characteristics. Gender is a set of socio-psychological characteristics (character traits, behavioral characteristics). Masculinity and femininity are ideas about the norms of behavior of men and women. They define gender identity.

What is masculinity

Masculinity (masculinity) is the male image, ideas, beliefs of society about how men should behave, what they are interested in, where to work. Masculinity in psychology is a set of bodily, behavioral, and mental characteristics that distinguish a man from a woman. What we usually mean by this (roughly speaking): short hair, trousers, tall, deep voice, strength, aggressiveness, reasonableness.

The classic male image is credited with:

rationalism,
restraint,
courage,
physical, moral strength,
durability,
activity,
aggressiveness,
craving for leadership, power,
confidence,
assertiveness,
risk appetite
independence.

From early childhood, boys are taught to play with cars, to be strong, “not to cry,” to protect girls, to earn money. Cultivating strength and blocking emotions is the basis of a man’s upbringing in most societies.

What is femininity

Femininity (femininity) is the female image, ideas, beliefs of society about what a woman should be, what she should do, how to behave. Femininity is a set of physical, mental, and behavioral characteristics that distinguish a woman from a man. What we usually mean by this (roughly speaking): dress, long hair, thin voice, emotionality, tenderness.

The classic image is credited with:

emotionality,
tolerance,
tenderness,
sociability,
softness,
attractiveness,
passivity,
compliance,
shyness,
ability to empathize.

The modern image of a woman is complemented by such characteristics as activity, intelligence, and enterprise. People first started talking about this in the years 1930–1970. Western psychologists conducted a series of tests and found that many women are endowed with classic traits of femininity and such characteristics of masculinity as perseverance, determination, and competitiveness. In the course of further research, psychologists found that men and women have much more in common, from a psychological point of view. The differences do not exceed 5% of what was initially said.

What is androgyny

Androgyny is a person’s belonging to both male and female genders at the same time. The masculine and feminine principles are equally developed in him, he himself manages the roles, decides where to apply masculine qualities and where to use feminine ones. For example, a woman can be a strict boss at work and a gentle partner in bed. A strong, determined, hard-working man can enjoy raising children and playing with them. An athletic woman with analytical thinking and a technical mindset can be very gentle, graceful, and flexible when needed.

Androgyny denies the idea of masculinity-femininity polarity and considers them as a single whole. Androgyny is closely related to psychological flexibility. Modern psychologists are sure: androgynes are perfect, harmonious people. Androgynes have greater psychological stability, adapt faster, and achieve great success in life, at work, and in the family. The severity of masculinity or femininity indicates an imbalance of personality, low scores in both categories indicate immaturity of the individual.

Androgyny does not mean “genderless” and is not associated with transgender people, homosexuals, or lesbians. We are talking about psychological androgyny, full personality, the presence of masculine and feminine qualities in one person. If you think about it, most people are androgynous. We decide for ourselves where to be aggressive, strong, persistent, and where to show gentleness; where to reason strictly rationally, and where to give free rein to feelings, etc.

Diagnosis of gender

American psychologist Sandra Bem is one of the authors of the most extensive studies of gender identity. She devoted a lot of research to the problem of identity and psychological androgyny. Her technique became revolutionary and helped to understand a lot about the problem of gender roles. With this test you can check which gender you consider yourself to be: masculinity, femininity, androgyny.

Answer “yes” or “no” to 39 questions (assess how the statements apply to you):

A confident person.
I make concessions easily.
I know how to help.
I can defend my opinion.
Cheerful type.
A gloomy man.
Independent personality.
Shy man.
Conscientious type.
I have an athletic build.
I can be gentle.
Endowed with acting skills.
I can be persistent.
Sometimes I fall for flattery.
I'm always lucky.
Strong personality.
If I'm passionate about something, I give it my all.
A very unpredictable person.
Strong man.
I can be a feminine person.
You can trust me, you can rely on me.
Analytical thinking is well developed.
I can sympathize.
I can be jealous.
I have leadership qualities.
I know how to take care of others.
I always speak directly, only the truth.
Risk-prone.
I understand others well.
Secretive person.
I can make quick decisions.
I know how to sympathize.
I try to be sincere.
I trust only myself, I rely only on myself.
I can comfort others.
Prone to vanity.
I like power.
I have a quiet voice.
I can be called an attractive person.
Masculine type.
A warm-hearted person.
Important type.
Always have your own opinion on any issue.
A gentle man.
I know how to make friends.
I often show aggression.
I'm too trusting person.
My activities are not very effective.
I can lead others with me.
There are infantile traits.
I quickly and easily adapt to new conditions.
Individualism is closer to me.
I don't like conflicts and quarrels.
Systematicity is not about me.
Endowed with a competitive spirit.
I love children.
Endowed with a sense of tact, a reserved person.
An ambitious person.
Calm person.
Inclined to formal communication and conventions.

Compare the matches with the key, give a point for each match:

“Femininity” scale: YES to questions 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 32, 35, 38, 41, 44, 47, 50, 53, 56, 59.
“Masculinity” scale: YES to questions 1, 4, 7, 10, 13, 16, 19, 22, 25, 28, 31, 34, 37, 40, 43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58.

Calculate the final coefficient using the formula: the score on the “Femininity” scale, divided by 20 – the score on the “Masculinity” scale, divided by 20, the difference between the scales should be multiplied by 2.322.

Rate the result:

coefficient from -1 to +1 – androgyny;
up to -1 – masculinity;
from +1 – femininity.

With jeans

If you think pairing your favorite jeans with a men's shirt is boring, you're wrong. Invest in luxurious accessories and jewelry and watch your outfit become the most chic of all.

With a sundress

The combination of a sundress and a shirt will help maintain a feminine silhouette and create a layered look. Complete it with elegant accessories to highlight the sophisticated outfit.

How does European masculinity differ from Russian masculinity?

The sexual revolution shook Europe quite a long time ago - it began in the late 60s, and over time, under its influence, women radically changed their behavior and attitude towards men.
They are tired of being simple housewives with their husbands and being completely dependent on them financially. They began to get jobs en masse, thereby increasing their economic well-being, which had a positive impact on the increasing level of gender equality . Now European men accept this state of affairs as the norm - unlike Russian men.

European men easily shared most responsibilities with women

Russian men, apparently, did not even notice how different their compatriots had become. They are constantly developing and changing, unlike men, who are far behind representatives of weaker status somewhere along the way. And at the same time they do not want to understand and accept the new rules of gender masculinity.
Why do Europeans and Russians differ so much in their perception of the gender issue? Our country has long been different from many other countries. For example, in pre-revolutionary Russia, it was not customary for a woman (if she belonged to the upper or middle class) to work at all, and, in general, she did not have the right to vote, unless it concerned issues of family and home.
During Soviet times, women gained the opportunity to work on an equal basis with men, sending their young children to nurseries and kindergartens. The state was to blame for the crisis of masculinity of that time - after all, almost all Soviet men were very dependent on it.

A striking example of masculinity in women

The Russian man was no longer the authoritative and authoritarian head and breadwinner of his family as he had been before. And at this time in Western countries, although emancipation , the man still remained the main guarantor of the well-being and prosperity of the family.

Social constructivist approach

In this interpretation, masculinity is a set of social and behavioral qualities that a man should be endowed with and that society expects from him. In other words, this term means that in each individual society, male representatives are raised from childhood, based on certain standards and traditions. Thanks to this upbringing, they will in the future meet the traditional social standards of their country. The same applies to female representatives. Any girl from the cradle is raised according to a specific scheme, instilling in her all those qualities that should make her a real lady, a loving wife, a caring mother, and so on.

Masculine girls

In the fifth year of life, each of us is determined physiologically and socially in who we are by gender. This is achieved through education in the appropriate direction, as well as through the influence of sex hormones and other physical factors. But it happens that due to the influence of society or family, due to disruptions in the functioning of the endocrine system, these settings are violated. As a result, the girl becomes similar to the boy both in appearance and in her behavior and character. However, psychologists note that by the time they reach puberty, boys most often outgrow all this and become women.

Do all men have masculinity?

So, we figured out that the example of a “real man” is just a stereotype imposed on society, and nothing more. Of course, it would be ideal if men were always ready to take the side of the weak, had the ability to make important independent decisions, experienced strong feelings and could express them eloquently.
But let's be honest, not all men are capable of this. So why should they all be denied masculinity because of this? A man will remain a man in any case, even if he has committed momentary weakness, and therefore does not look like a hero in the eyes of others.

Not everyone

Nowadays, to the already existing manifestation of masculinity, factors such as sexual attractiveness, achievements in sports, a fashionable well-groomed appearance, and prestigious accessories have been added. But both those who have already achieved all this and those who dream of getting it all have to work hard and hard for this.
Not everyone is capable of this and therefore does not meet the desired standards. Modern society is slowly beginning to move away from the usual stereotypes of a “real man.” After all, not all representatives of the stronger sex now treat women as weak creatures who must be constantly looked after, protected and supplied with money. And not everyone wants to serve in the army, and they also don’t want to pump up their muscles in the gym every day.
But, unfortunately, Russian society is not yet ready to give such men enough chances so that they can give their masculinity new qualities - this could be caring, involved fatherhood, equal partnership , etc.
However, by masculinity one should mean the usual anatomical difference between a man and a woman, and nothing more. This means that every male representative already has it, and for each it is unique.
Men shouldn’t constantly think about what a “real man” would do in his case—they need to live their lives without looking back at stereotypes.

Money, power and masculinity image

Which woman has not dreamed that a rich and powerful man would become her life partner? And it’s not always the case that a man has iron muscles and a tight wallet at the same time.
So, when talking about masculinity , we can also mean a person vested with power and owning considerable capital. By the way, such people a priori cannot be stupid, otherwise they would never have been able to achieve such a high position in society . Let’s take it as an axiom: they have remarkable intelligence, and it’s always interesting to be around such people.
And this “triad” - money, power and intelligence is a sufficient basis for the presence of masculinity in such people. And a muscular bodyguard can always be used as physical strength. And who in this situation has more masculinity - an absolutely unsportsmanlike oligarch or a pumped-up bodyguard? There is nothing to guess here.

Powerful men also fit into this category.

With a skirt

A men's shirt and skirt is a formula that always works. Bet on a tandem, where the feminine skirt balances the masculine touch that the shirt gives. If you have a monochromatic model, you can combine it with printed skirts.

Look how Olivia Palermo and Olivia Culpo played this look.

Gender stereotypes

Gender stereotypes significantly complicate the study of gender issues. Stereotypes prevent us from seeing the real psychological characteristics of the sexes. For example, the following judgments about women (in comparison with men) are considered non-scientific:

have specific logic, excessive emotionality, while men think analytically;
have lower levels of self-esteem;
more suggestible;
cope better with routine, small tasks;
are influenced by genetics, and men by the environment;
have the most developed auditory perception, and men - visual;
prone to a passive lifestyle, men need activity.

Gender stereotypes cause sexism and interfere with the correct building of relationships between the sexes. Stereotypes interfere with self-realization and the development of each individual person. They limit opportunities and hold back potential.

Psychological studies have shown that the biological difference between the sexes does not determine the specific behavior of children. It is parents, society that dictates to boys and girls how they should behave. Swiss psychiatrist and teacher Carl Gustav Jung believed that every person from birth has masculine and feminine principles, but in the process of socialization, under the influence of society, including gender stereotypes, the subject loses integrity.