Dr. Jim O'Neil

O'Neil, J. M. & Roberts Carroll, M. (1988).  A gender role workshop focused on sexism, gender role conflict, and the gender role journey.  Journal of Counseling and Development, 67, 193-197.

O'Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992).  Men and women's gender role journeys: A metaphor for healing, transition, and transformation.  In B. Wainrib (Ed.) Gender issues across the life cycle.  New York:  Springer Publishing Co.

O'Neil, J. M., & Egan, J. (1992).  Men's gender role transitions over the lifespan:  Transformation and fears of femininity.  Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 14, 306-324.

O'Neil, J.M. (1995). The gender role journey workshop: Exploring sexism and gender role conflict in a coeducational setting (Ed.). Men in Groups: Insights, interventions, psychoeducational work. Washington, D.C.: APA Books

O’Neil, J.M. (2015). New contextual paradigms for gender role conflict: Theory, research, and practice. In J.M. O’Neil, Men’s gender role conflict: Psychological costs, consequences, and an agenda for change, pp 41-77. Washington, D.C. APA Books.

O’Neil, J.M. (2015) My personal gender role journey with the gender role conflict research program. In J.M. O’Neil, Men’s gender role conflict: Psychological costs, consequences, and an agenda for change, pp 29-38. Washington, D.C. APA Books.

Burns, L.R. (2017). The impact of emerging adulthood life events on men’s gender role journey (Doctoral dissertation, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology). Dissertation Abstracts International, 978-13390546346, 2016, 477717-110.

O'Neil, J. M., Egan, J., Owen, S.V., & Murry, V.M. (1993). The gender role journey measure (JRJM): Scale development and psychometric evaluations. Sex Roles, 28, 167-185.

Goldberg, J. & O’Neil, J.M. (1997). Marilyn Monroe’s gender role journey:  Promoting women’s development. Journal of College Student Development, 38, 543-545.

Grandi, L., Minton, S., May, J., Tipton, K. (2003). UK men’s experience of the gender role journey and implications for clinicians and mental health services. Psychology of Men and Masculinities.

McDermott, R.C. & Schwartz, J. (2013).  Toward a better understanding of emerging adult          men's gender role journeys: Differences in age, education, race, relationship status, and           sexual orientation.  Psychology of Men and Masculinity, 14, 202-210.

McDermott. R.C., Schwartz, J.P., Trevathan-Minnis, M. (2012). Predicting men's anger   management: Relationship with gender role journey and entitlement. Psychology of Men and   Masculinity 13, 49-64.

Mock, J.F. (1995).  Influence of gender role journey  and balance of power  in the marital relationship, on the emotional and spiritual  well-being  of mid-life  married women.  Dissertation  Abstracts International, 56 (5), 9531244.

O’Neil, J.M. (2000) Review of the Gender Role Journey Measure (GRJM). In J. Maltby, C. Lewis, & A. Hill (Eds.) Commissioned reviews of 250 psychological tests. Credigion, Wales: The Edwin Mellon Press.

O’Neil, J.M. (2015) Gender role journey therapy with men. In J.M. O’Neil, Men’s gender role conflict: Psychological costs, consequences, and an agenda for change, pp 227-248. Washington, D.C. APA Books.

A metaphor for the process of examining how gender role socialization experiences effects a person’s life.

The journey involves evaluating thoughts, feelings, and behaviors about gender roles, sexism, and gender role conflict including a retrospective analysis of early family experiences, assessment of one’s present status with gender roles, and a projection of gender roles into the future.

From Chapter 3, p. 48 O’Neil (2015)

From O’Neil, J.M. (2015). A developmental model of masculinity: Gender role transitions and men’s psychosocial growth. In J.M. O’Neil, Men’s gender role conflict: Psychological costs, consequences, and an agenda for change, pp 79-93. Washington, D.C. APA Books.

Psychosocial theory provides a vantage point to theorize about gender role transitions and developmental changes in men and boys. Figure 1 depicts a developmental model that integrate gender role transitions and GRC with psychosocial theory (Newman & Newman, 2012).

As mentioned earlier, psychosocial theory provides a vantage point to theorize about gender role transitions and developmental changes in men and boys. Figure 1 depicts a developmental model that integrates gender role transitions and GRC with psychosocial theory (Newman & Newman, 2012). On the left of the figure shows life stages where psychosocial gender related processes are experienced from infancy to very old age. The vertical listing of the stages on the left implies that the processes  can occur at any times during life. At the bottom, the journeying with gender roles and the gender role transformation  processes are shown. The transformational processes include working with defenses, considering false assumptions, engaging self-dialogue and psychological warfare, and symbol manipulations. The six rectangles in the middle of Figure 1 reflect the complexity of GRC from a developmental perspective in the context of the life stages and psychosocial development.

First, the model in Figure 1 indicates that restrictive masculinity ideology and GRC, shown at the left of the figure, are shaped by contextual and situational factors including cultural, racial, ethnic, socioeconomic status (SES), and sexual-orientation indices that ultimately affect psychosocial growth at each life stage. Gender role change occurs because of these factors and a host of others, and GRC is possible at any life each stage. Also affecting restrictive masculinity and GRC are gender role schemas and distorted gender role schemas, also shown at the left of Figure 1. As discussed earlier, gender role schemas and their distortions are part of psychosocial development that can result  in fears and anxieties about not measuring up to traditional gender role expectations. These schemas and distorted schemas also relate to resolving developmental tasks and psychosocial crises. Restrictive masculinity ideology shown in the middle of the figure is the sum total of all the gender role schemas, distorted gender role schemas, and the contextual, situational, cultural factors that can have a positive or negative effect on the  boy or and man’s. life.

The bidirectional (or reciprocal) arrows between restrictive masculinity ideology and GRC and the resolution, respectively, of developmental tasks and psychosocial crises suggest two hypotheses: (a) masculinity ideology and GRC negatively affect the resolution of developmental tasks and psychosocial crises; and (b) the tasks and crises can produce GRC or contribute to restrictive masculinity ideology.

In the middle of Figure 1, the working through of the tasks and crises is accomplished through gender role transitions that come about through the action-oriented processes of demonstrating, reevaluating, performing, and integrating gender role schemas. Finally, as shown at the right of the diagram, the effective resolution of gender role transitions, developmental tasks, and psychosocial crises results in psychological health and maturity—what currently is known as healthy/positive masculinity (Kiscelica, 2011; Kisleica & Englar-Carlson, 2010) Previous definitions of healthy masculinity have enumerated male strengths and adaptive and positive aspects of being a man. I extend this definition by describing positive healthy masculinity as full maturation by mastering developmental tasks and resolving the psychosocial tasks and crises across the life cycle. Figure 1 provides an overall framework to discuss developmental assumptions about psychosocial growth in the context of developmental masculinity.

The table below enumerates theoretical assumptions about how psychosocial theory can be integrated with GRC constructs. A careful reading of these assumptions suggest that gender role transitions exist throughout the life stages and boys and men experience varying degrees of restrictive masculinity ideology and GRC that affects psychosocial development in each developmental period. Numerous contextual and situational factors affect how masculinity ideology and GRC impact psychosocial growth including mastering developmental tasks. Efforts to master the developmental tasks and resolve psychosocial crises can cause GRC. Furthermore, gender role transitions may be necessary to master the developmental tasks and resolve the psychosocial crises. Mastering developmental tasks and resolving psychosocial crises, at least in part, involves changes in gender role values and self-assumptions. Journeying with one’s gender roles is what is needed  to resolve gender role transitions and involves demonstrating, resolving, redefining, and integrating gender role schemas related to masculinity and femininity ideologies. Restrictive masculinity ideology and GRC may limit behavioral and emotional flexibility needed to master developmental tasks and resolve psychosocial crises. Distorted gender role schemas about masculinity and femininity may need to be corrected (redefined) to effectively resolve developmental tasks and the psychosocial crises.  FOF and homophobia are major inhibitors of men managing gender role transitions, mastering the developmental tasks, and resolving psychosocial crises. Optimal development and positive masculinity are when the developmental tasks and psychosocial crises are resolved and there is positive transition to the next stage of development. Clinician and programmers can use gender role transitions, gender role schemas, and the gender role journey in therapy with men and during psychoeducational interventions.

From O’Neil, J.M. (2015). A developmental model of masculinity: Gender role transitions and men’s psychosocial growth. In J.M. O’Neil, Men’s gender role conflict: Psychological costs, consequences, and an agenda for change, pp 79-93. Washington, D.C. APA Books.

Another central concept in the GRC research program is the gender role journey. The gender role journey is a metaphor and framework that helps people examine how their gender role socialization, GRC, and sexism have affected their lives (O’Neil & Egan, 1992a). The journey involves doing a retrospective analysis of early family experiences with gender roles, making an assessment of one’s present situation with sexism, and making decisions about how to act in the future. The overall purpose of the process is to evaluate how gender roles and sexism have affected one’s life personally, professionally, and politically and use this knowledge to improve one’s life and society.

Table 1 describes three phases of the gender role journey, which imply change and transitions with gender roles. They are (1) acceptance of traditional roles; (2) gender role ambivalence, confusion, anger, and fear; and (3) personal and professional activism (O’Neil, et al., 1993a).  The gender role journey also involves identifying gender role transitions as they occur in life and reexamining gender role schemas (O’Neil & Egan 1992b; O’Neil & Fishman, 1992; O’Neil, Fishman, & Kinsella-Shaw, 1987). The Gender Role Journey Measure (GRJM) was created to help both men and women determine which phases of the gender role journey they identify with (O’Neil, Egan, Owen, & Murry, 1993). Part of the journey is the process of coming to understand how GRC develops in the family and as the result of other socialization experiences in society. Full theoretical descriptions of these phases are found in the following publications: O’Neil, Egan, Owen, Murry, 1993; O’Neil & Egan, 1992 a, b ; O’Neil & Roberts Carroll, 1987; O’Neil, 2015.

click below to expand each section

Gender role transitions are events in a person’s gender role development that produce changes in his or her gender role identity and self-assumptions. Understanding gender role transitions across the lifespan by journeying with them is one way to understand  GRC and the develop healthy-positive masculinity. In the midst of them, men and women demonstrate, resolve, reevaluate, or integrate new or old conceptions of masculinity and femininity—as  West and Zimmerman (1998) put it, they are “doing  gender” or “redoing  gender.” Gender role transitions are hypothesized to relate to mastering developmental tasks, resolving psychosocial crises, and facing dilemmas with maturity. They can produce positive growth or confusion, anxiety, and despair, and failure to resolve them may stimulate GRC and other emotional problems. Four action-oriented processes can occur during gender  role transitions, that is, the person can make a concerted effort to demonstrate, resolve, reevaluate, or integrate (in the case of a man) masculinity ideology issues. Each of these is defined below.

The demonstration, resolution, reevaluation, and integration of masculine and feminine values may occur during the normal maturation process. These transitional processes can open up internal parts of the man, expand his self-definition, and promote personal exploration and growth. One of the more vital issues is how these four psychological processes occur cognitively and emotionally with gender role schemas as males face developmental tasks and challenges in life.

In this section many gender role transitions are listed that relate to developmental tasks and psychosocial crises discussed in psychosocial theory. Table 2 shows the life stages, developmental tasks, and psychosocial crises proposed by Newman and Newman (2012) and specific examples of gender role transitions or tasks related to the transitions. In the first column at the left of Table 2 are listed the ten life stages and, in column two, at least one of Newman and Newman’s developmental tasks corresponding to each. The psychosocial crises for the ten stages are listed in the third column, followed in the fourth by the gender role transitions that are predictable during each period of growth and development. Applying the relationships proposed earlier in Figure 1, we can hypothesize that each developmental task and psychosocial crisis involves one or more gender role transition that is vital to mastering the task and resolving the crisis, and vice versa.

In this way, we can see that issues related to masculinity and femininity are directly related to psychosocial growth. Mastering the developmental tasks and resolving the psychosocial crises is necessary to work through the gender role transitions, and vice versa. In accordance with the definition of gender role transitions, each task and crisis involves some aspect of demonstrating, resolving, reevaluating or integrating masculinity norms and standards. The associations made at each life stage provide a preliminary developmental framework to understand boys’ and men’s gender role socialization over the lifespan in the context of psychosocial development. GRC results when the psychosocial issues (that is, the tasks and crises) are delayed or go unresolved.

From O’Neil, J.M. (2015). A developmental model of masculinity: Gender role transitions and men’s psychosocial growth. In J.M. O’Neil, Men’s gender role conflict: Psychological costs, consequences, and an agenda for change, pp 79-93. Washington, D.C. APA Books.

These deconstruction concepts are the nuts and bolts of the gender role journey process that I observed with the 700 students who enrolled in my summer gender role journey workshop from 1984-2007 and who now take this workshop online.

Deconstructing gender roles means telling the truth about sexist assumptions and stereotypes that distort what it means to be fully human, confronting the lies about the rewards of highly sex-typed attitudes and behaviors, and identifying and correcting the myths that men and women are more different than alike (O’Neil & Renzulli, 2013a).

What happens during gender role transitions? There is BOTH THE CONSTRUCTION & DECONSTRUCTION OF GENDER ROLES, MASCULINITY/FEMININITY IDEOLOGIES, GENDER ROLE NORMS AND EXPECTANCIES

Deconstruction of Gender Roles:

1. A critical analysis of destructive gender role stereotypes and the evaluation of unverified sex differences.
2. Personal, social, and political realities of personal oppression, discrimination, and social injustice are exposed.
3. How race, class, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation affect psychological functioning are explored.
4. The negative effects of personal and institutional forms of sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, ethnocentrism, or any other kind of discrimination in people’s lives is understood.
5. How gender roles relate to sex discrimination, emasculation, homophobia, homonegativity, poverty, sexual assault, harassment, emotional abuse, and societal violence is understood.
6. The status quo’s investment in sexism is explored by coming to understand how the dominant cultures oppress vulnerable groups including women, people of color, sexual minorities.
7. The economics of oppression is recognized by acknowledging that that profits are made when agents of destructive capitalism use sexism and stereotypes to foster injustices and discrimination.

Roles (Chapter 1- pages 13-14, O’Neil (2015)

Convincing mainstream psychology to study men has been difficult because, until the 1980s, patriarchal values dominated psychological theory and research. White males were the normative referent group for research and psychological knowledge during the first eight decades of American psychology. Consequently, the psychology of men is frequently associated with biased studies, sexism, male dominance, the devaluation of women, and with research and theories narrowly defined by sex differences rather than men’s real-life experiences. As will be shown in this book, the new psychology of men is not about these sexist aspects of scientific study.

One explanation of why the psychology of men has been slow to develop is that the issues are both controversial and intensely personal and political. The primary way to understand sexism and GRC is by deconstructing traditional gender roles, a process that has been championed by women feminists in psychology and other disciplines (Enns, 2004; Enns & Williams, 2013). Deconstructing gender roles means telling the truth about sexist assumptions and stereotypes that distort what it means to be fully human, confronting the lies about the rewards of high sex typed attitudes and behaviors, and identifying and correcting the myths that men and women are more different than alike (O’Neil & Renzulli, 2013aq). It involves the critical analysis of destructive gender role stereotypes and the evaluation of unverified sex differences that underlie sexism for both men and women, and it includes examining research evidence about sex differences while resisting the temptation to settle for simple answers to complex human problems—for instance, the superficial “Mars and Venus” explanations of men’s and women’s relationships (Gray, 1989).

Furthermore, the deconstruction of traditional gender roles can reveal the personal, social, and political realities of personal oppression, discrimination, and social injustice. Reaching this deeper level requires analyzing how racial, class, ethnic, religious, and sexual orientation indices affect psychological functioning and making an effort to acknowledge the effects of personal and institutional forms of sexism, racism, classism, heterosexism, ethnocentrism, or any other kind of discrimination on people’s lives. The deconstruction process raises significant questions about how gender roles relate to sex discrimination, emasculation, homophobia, homonegativity, poverty, sexual assault, harassment, emotional abuse, and societal violence. In the course of it, the status quo’s investment in sexism is recognized and confronted by coming to understand how the dominant cultures oppress vulnerable groups, including women, people of color, sexual minorities, immigrants, and even white men. Also acknowledged is the economics of oppression, which is understood by explaining that profits are made when “destructive capitalism” uses stereotypes to foster injustices and discrimination.

On a personal level, the deconstruction of gender roles can challenge ethnic, familial, religious, or cultural mores related to masculinity and femininity, which can threaten personal identities and violate family values and even invalidate established world views. In this context, the personal becomes political very quickly, and polarization and strong emotions can arise. On a societal level, the oppressiveness of the status quo becomes very visible and obvious when these issues are illuminated. In short, the assessment of patriarchal structures is unsettling and can destroy the illusion that everything is okay in men’s and women’s lives. It compels us to admit that men are troubled, and the entire social system is vulnerable and unstable. Activists who expose these realities threaten dominant power brokers who profit from the inequities. They also threaten regular people whose lives are based on traditional gender roles.

Given the complexity and volatility of the issues, many people find the deconstruction of gender roles overwhelming and retreat from the realities and inevitable problems it exposes. Over the decades, even activists have tired with the struggle as opposition to and support for feminism have ebbed and flowed. In this book I try not to sidestep these critical issues, but to connect them to GRC and to men’s and women’s gender role journeys (O’Neil & Egan, 1992 a, b; O’Neil, Helms, Gable, David, & Wrightsman, 1986).

While vulnerabilities and insecurities do arise from the deconstruction of gender roles, eventually a single truth emerges: outdated, stereotypical, and restrictive gender roles do not provide the foundation for equality between the sexes; rather, they provide the basis for sexism and other forms of oppression that cause violence and social injustices. As all mental health professionals know, social injustice causes poverty and serious psychological problems for men, women, and children and is therefore a critical issue for psychologists and other caring professionals to address.

From O’Neil, J.M. (2015). A call to action to expand the psychology of men. In J.M. O’Neil, Men’s gender role conflict: Psychological costs, consequences, and an agenda for change, pp 9-28., Washington, D.C. APA Books.

Personal changes and modifications in gender role values are not completed in a vacuum and what thoughts and feelings get demonstrated, resolved, re-evaluated, or integrated is the critical question. In order for boys and men to complete gender role transitions, there is usually cognitive and affective processes operating that facilitate the completion of the transition. The transitions are experienced in the context of certain gender role schemas.

Gender role schemas are cultural definitions of maleness and femaleness that organize and guide an individual’s perception of masculinity and femininity based on sex and gender roles. The schema is related to the person’s self-concept and is used to evaluate his or her personal adequacy as male or female.  The issue of personal adequacy to meet the demands of restrictive gender roles schemas is part of the gender role strain and conflict that both men and women experience. Gender role schemas are considered when boys or men demonstrate, resolve, reevaluate, or integrate masculinity and femininity during gender role transitions. On a cognitive and affective level, gender role schemas are what men struggle with during gender role transitions.

Many men have learned gender role schemas that are distorted and based on sexist stereotypes. Distorted gender role schemas are exaggerated thoughts and feelings about masculinity and femininity as applied to major life issues. The distortion occurs because of perceived or actual pressure to meet stereotypical notions of masculinity, resulting in fears and anxieties about not measuring up to traditional gender role expectations. These distorted gender role schema are part of the man’s restricted masculinity ideology that produce GRC and maybe contribute to precarious manhood (Vandello & Bosson, 2003; Vandello, et al., 2008).

What schemas do men struggle with during gender role transitions? What schemas need to demonstrated, resolved, reevaluated, and finally integrated. What schemas get distorted and contribute to GRC? Table 3 shows some of these gender role schemas and their distortions. These schemas are the gender related themes that boys and men process during gender role transitions.

The critical question is how to journey with gender roles, resolve gender role transitions, and effectively redefine distorted gender role schemas to enrich one’s life. This process is challenging and relates to transformations (See Figure 3 at the bottom). Gould (1978, 1980) defined transformation as expanding one's self-definition to produce inner freedom without conflict or anxiety, thereby internalizing a maximum sense of personal security. Likewise, gender role transitions can produce a redefinition of masculinity and femininity, decreased gender role conflict, greater freedom with gender roles, and increased self-confidence. Gould posited numerous properties of the transformation process that have relevance to explaining the internal dynamics of gender role transitions and the gender role journey including a) changes in psychological defenses, b) facing and dealing with false assumptions, c) increases in internal dialogue with self, d) internal psychological warfare. Each of these is elaborated on in the context of men’s gender role transitions.

When people struggle to change their fundamental conception of gender roles, the defensive structure of their personality may need alteration to foster more functional and expansive ways to live. The past defenses may no longer function fully for the person and new psychological mechanisms are needed to enhance coping and promote the transformation.  Defensive structures vary greatly, but repression, projection, regression, and reaction formation are quite common. The essence of most defense mechanisms is the inability to face emotions and feelings and therefore an emotional leveling or shutdown. Emotions relevant to one’s gender role identity can be intellectualized, denied, represses, and projected in anger and hostility towards others. Therefore, gender role transitions may require a fundamental change in people’s psychological defense system and new ways of experiencing deep emotions as part of the gender role journey.

Furthermore, false assumptions or illusions about gender roles may help maintain a defensive posture. Before the transformation occurs, false ideas about gender roles from childhood consciousness usually establish the functional boundaries of self-definition. These functional boundaries are maintained until the false ideas are disconfirmed and disbelieved. For example, beliefs that real men always have to be strong, successful, powerful, unemotional, and in control are gender role illusions that reflect societal stereotypes. These stereotypes are usually internalized at an early age to establish men’s and women’s gender role identity. Willingness to challenge these false ideas may depend on obtaining new information, deep emotional awakenings, and political awareness that sexism violates women and men in a capitalist society.

More important, gender role transitions stimulate an internal dialogue in the context of the new, emerging gender role identity. This internal dialogue may inhibit transformation, since the false ideas may produce anxiety and feelings of psychological regression. Usually, the false self-assumptions prohibit the gender role transition process and maintain personal anxiety and gender role conflict. If men and women can face these false assumptions, they can begin the internal dialogue necessary to deconstruct gender roles and  prompt gender role change.

This internal dialogue may bring about psychological warfare between the person and their external world or between the old self and the new, emerging identity. During gender role transitions, “enemies” of the self are sometimes identified from the intense emotions, especially anger and fear. Yet, who these enemies are may be unclear. Women, other men, parents, children, and institutional structures may be targeted as the enemy to be attacked or avoided. Men and women may identify a weakened sense of themselves as the enemy, in terms of their self-imposed restrictions, devaluations, and personal limitations. Identifying the “enemy within” usually produces low self-esteem, anxiety, anger, and defensiveness that destabilize the person.

Adding to Gould’s definition of transformation, gender role transitions may require a new manipulation of symbols and the use of metaphors for change and healing. Instrumental outcomes such as success, status, and power can be replaced with transformative myths, metaphors, symbols, and images. Past interest in mythology (Campbell, 1988; Johnson, 1986) represents an evolving person’s desire to use symbolic representation to find greater meaning in life. Johnson (1986) indicated that the “most rewarding mythological experience you can have is to see how it lives in your own psychological structure” (p.x). Myths offer us the truth about ourselves and dispel the hardened illusions that we have based our lives on.

The use of metaphors, images, and symbols gives men and women an opportunity to redefine their gender perspectives. In my gender role journey workshops (See Chapter 13; O’Neil, 1996; O’Neil & Roberts Carroll, 1988),  I have seen the power of symbols and metaphors in promoting transformation. For example, if the symbols (i.e., stereotypes) of power and control have been rigidly internalized as money, status, authority, and power over others, then a new conceptualization of power and control can be developed. Power could be redefined as the symbolic and real activity of empowering others. The symbol of “power over others” becomes transformed to “conscious empowerment of others” through service, leadership, and nurturing support.

Helping people manipulate symbols related to masculinity and femininity requires facing the illusions of gender role stereotypes. For gender role transitions to occur, the artificiality and illusions of gender role stereotypes need to be assessed through the deconstruction process.  For example, one illusion is the value of highly sex-typed behavior and masculine and feminine stereotypes as a basis for healthy self-definition. For an evolving person who is seeking transformation, stereotypes no longer have the same power or utility in coping with life events. They recognize that stereotypic masculinity and femininity are not synonymous with health. This recognition represents a significant breakthrough toward a more substantial understanding of gender and human identity. The past gender role stereotypes are exposed as shallow and as not sustaining the person on a deeper, internal level. The illusions of the stereotypes need exploration if real growth is to occur over the lifespan. This process involves capturing deep emotions about masculinity and femininity and finding new meaning in them.

To journey is to move through time and space for a reason and reach a new place, and therapy can be conceptualized the same way. The notion of a journey can lessen the stigma attached to therapy that can keep men from seeking help. Whether the path is predictable or the direction unknown, journeying implies movement and change. The goal of the gender role journey is to resolve GRC and promote healthy and positive masculinity

The process of journeying with one’s gender roles has been conceptualized from observing students  during the gender role journey workshop that was offered for  twenty-two consecutive summers at the University of Connecticut (See chapter 13, O’Neil, 1995; O’Neil & Roberts Carroll, 1988). Over 700 men and women participated in this six-day, psychoeducational experience and my evaluations of the students’ change processes as they considered whether and how to journey with their gender roles were critical in helping define the gender role journey therapeutic process. Based on those evaluations and past conceptions of men’s therapy reviewed above, six specific principles of gender role journey therapy are presented in Table 4 and  elaborated on further in the chapter 10 (O’Neil, 2015 where the stages and processes of change in gender role journey therapy are described.

Table 5 summarizes the stages and phases of change for male clients and their therapists during the gender role journey, listing possible client’s symptoms and dynamics in each phase of the gender role journey or stage of change. Furthermore, possible interventions for therapists are also listed for each phase of the gender role journey and stage of change.  Ninety client symptoms or therapeutic states are listed in Table 5 and almost 80 action oriented interventions for the therapist are enumerated. The summary of this information defines GRJT in very operational terms and adds to the early work that Brooks (2010) did integrating transtheoretical therapy with masculinity conflicts. The list should be useful in preparing diagnostic process-oriented assessments and interventions during men’s gender role journeys. The table can be used to find men’s portals (Rabinowitz & Cochran, 2002) and determine their readiness for change (Brooks, 2010).  Since every client and therapy process is different, Table 3 serves as a template to generate hypotheses about how to intervene, when, and with what expected outcomes, based on the stage of change and phase of the gender role journey.

O’Neil, J.M. (2015) Gender role journey therapy with men. In J.M. O’Neil, Men’s gender role conflict: Psychological costs, consequences, and an agenda for change, pp 227-248. Washington, D.C. APA Books.

Of course, the real question is how to help men in therapy with their GRC in a very practical sense. Table 6 lists the four patterns of GRC (SPC, RE, RABBM, CBWFR) and specific strategies that can be implemented to resolve it and promote movement toward problem solving and healing. Helping men learn how to label, experience, and discharge emotions may be the most important activity to pursue. To change RE requires both factual knowledge about emotions and practice in expressing feelings. SPC also needs to be redefined, and exposing the illusions about success, control, and power can be eye openers, particularly when the severe costs incurred are identified. When RABBM  is worked through, the client has more  opportunities to actually practice getting close to other men and deconstruct homophobic and heterosexist attitudes.  Exploring body awareness and doing more self-disclosure with other men as part of therapy homework assignments can be useful activities that move the man along to action and activism. In the same way, therapy can be a laboratory for men to resolve CBWFR through learning better time management, prioritizing, and managing stress in new way.

Publications on the Gender Role Journey Workshop

O'Neil, J. M. & Roberts Carroll, M. (1988).  A gender role workshop focused on sexism, gender role conflict, and the gender role journey.  Journal of Counseling and Development, 67, 193-197

O'Neil, J.M. (1995). The gender role journey workshop: Exploring sexism and gender role conflict in a coeducational setting (Ed.). Men in Groups: Insights, interventions, psychoeducational work. Washington, D.C.: APA Books.

O’Neil, J.M. (2000) Review of the Gender Role Journey Measure (GRJM). In J. Maltby, C. Lewis, & A. Hill (Eds.) Commissioned reviews of 250 psychological tests. Credigion, Wales: The Edwin Mellon Press.

O’Neil, J.M. (2015). Prevention of gender role conflict using psychoeducation: Three evaluated interventions. In J.M. O’Neil, Men’s gender role conflict: Psychological costs, consequences, and an agenda for change, pp. 313-335. Washington, D.C. APA Books.

The Gender Role Journey Workshop For Men and Women

A 6-day, 36-hour gender role journey workshop designed to help adults analyze their gender role socialization and conflict was offered from 1984 to 2006 with over 700 men and women participating (O’Neil, 1995, 2015; O’Neil & Roberts Carroll, 1988).  The workshop’s conceptual base encouraged participants to examine their present and past experiences with gender roles.  The four major concepts of the workshop were sexism (Albee, 1981), gender role conflict (GRC), gender role transitions, and the gender role journey (O’Neil & Egan, 1992a)

Workshop Dimensions

Assumptions and Workshop Principles

The workshop design assumed that adults need to talk with each other about sexism and gender role conflicts as part of the healing process. Additionally, it was assumed that alliances between men and women were possible and necessary for the growth and understanding of each sex. It was also assumed that discussions about gender roles and sexism can be difficult, dynamic, and emotional.

Six principles guided the workshop’s preparation and implementation. First, men and women struggle to integrate new definitions of gender roles as they face life events. Second, varying degrees of awareness about the negative outcomes of restrictive gender roles and sexism exist in people’s lives. Third, an expanded “gender role vocabulary” is needed to express thoughts and feelings on changing gender roles. Fourth, conflicts and negative emotions occur as men and women become aware of sexism. Fifth, understanding and resolving gender role conflicts (GRC) can occur using the phases of the gender role journey (See chapter 3, 5, & 10). like those in Table 1. Finally, dialogue about gender roles and sexism can be constructive and nonviolent if there is a commitment to mutual support and understanding.

Workshop Participants

Separate workshops were offered over a 24 year period, but specific evaluation data were gathered in the 1985, 1986, and 1987 workshops with a total of 84 participants enrolling from counseling, teaching, nursing, and other helping professions.  Women outnumbered men three to one in each workshop and the average workshop size was 28 participants.  The mean age of participants was 33, 38, and 36 for Workshops I, II, and III, respectively.  The workshop leaders were one male Ph.D. level counseling psychologist and one female master’s level counselor.

Workshop Curriculum, Process, Norms, and Media

Workshop curriculum.  The workshop’s title was “Gender Role Conflict Issues for Helping Professionals.” but over the years the unofficial title was the Gender Role Journey Workshop.  It was offered as a graduate summer school class in the Counseling Psychology Program in the Educational Psychology Department at the University of Connecticut.  The curriculum of the workshop is summarized in detail in Table 4. During each day of the workshop, new themes were introduced using lectures, music-media, structured-experiential exercises, and small-large group discussions.  Mini-lectures, media presentations, and personal self-disclosures were the primary modes of teaching and learning.

The curriculum established specific definitions of gender role concepts through preassigned readings and lectures.  This common terminology provided a concise understanding of the relationship between socialized gender roles and sexism. Furthermore, the workshop curriculum presumed that sexism is a form of violence between and among men and women and, therefore, a potentially volatile interpersonal issue. Consequently, the curriculum was defined as a vehicle for people to discuss nonviolently the effects of sexism, using the gender role journey.

The curriculum was designed to elicit personal exploration in both the cognitive and affective domains of learning by using theory, research, and group activities. The curriculum was developed so that the ongoing group process would become part of the workshop content. Group leaders helped participants identify specific examples of sexism and GRC as they occurred with and between group members. Greater personalization of the curriculum was possible by using music, movie clips, self-assessments, and group activities. Also, personal disclosures by the leaders and presentation of famous person’s gender role journeys (e.g., John Lennon, Jane Fonda, and Marvin Gaye) provided a basis for participants’ own assessment of their journeys and conflicts.

Workshop process.  Before the workshop, participants read five manuscripts providing background on gender roles and sexism (See O’Neil, 1995 and O’Neil & Roberts Carroll, 1988).  These readings focused on men’s sexism and gender role socialization, but equal time was given to women’s issues in the lectures and the media used.  A preworkshop needs assessment was administered through the mail to assess participants’ expectancies, needs, and attitudes about gender roles.  These data were gathered to better understand the participants and allow their direct input into the workshop design. Participants filled out daily evaluation forms assessing the day’s activities and process.  These daily evaluations provided feedback for preparing the next day’s workshop content and process.  On the last day of the workshop, participants prepared action plans, specifying in detail what they could do about sexism personally, professionally, and politically over the coming months.

Workshop norms. Specific norms were established early in the workshop and guided the group process.  The following workshop norms were established and monitored during the 6 days: (a) personal comfort and safety; (b) freedom of movement and self-expression; (c) interpersonal respect; (d) personal nonviolence; (e) emotional and intellectual expressions; (f) nonviolent expressions of anger; (g) prohibition of victimization and interpersonal violence; (h) mutual support; (i) self-assessments, self-disclosures, and positive regard for individual differences; (j) careful listening and “tracking” the group process; (k) monitoring personal “talk time” in the group; and (l) developing friendships and alliances with others.

Media and stimulus diversity. Lectures and audio-video media were used continuously throughout the workshop as part of the stimulus diversity (see Table 4).  Stimulus diversity was defined as employing sequential teaching interventions to stimulate personal feelings, thoughts, and self-exploration.  An example of how stimulus diversity worked in the workshop was the video presentations of the gender role journeys of John Lennon, Jane Fonda, and Marvin Gaye in the early years and Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Elton John, Hillary Rodman Clinton, and Roger Maris after 1995.  Their journeys were documented using various stimuli including biographical profiles, music videos, and movie clips.  Workshop participants could personalize their gender role issues by observing real life dramas of sexism from famous people’s lives.

Results of the Workshop Evaluations

The evaluation data came from self-report questionnaires that were descriptive and global in nature. Evaluations of all participants were conducted before and during the workshop, immediately after the workshop, at 1- and 3-month intervals after the workshop, and at 1 and 2 years after the workshop.

Likert scale items assessed personal learning form the workshop, emotional reactions to the workshop, and the degree that the workshop personally affected participants over a 1-month period.  Percentage agreement on each item for Workshops I, II, and III, respectively, is found within the parentheses for each item.  In reference to personal learning, participants indicated: learning more about themselves (100%, 100%, and 89%); having a better understanding of their socialization process (88%, 96%, and 92%); having greater understanding of their relationships with their mother and father (84%, 76%, and 77%) and having increased sensitivity as to how stereotypes damage men and women (100%, 100%, and 96%).  Regarding emotional reactions, participants indicated; having felt emotional pain from issue(s) that emerged during the workshop (84%, 57%, and 52%); and having cried since the workshop because of pain experienced in the workshop (64%, 38%, and 19%).  In reference to the degree of impact of the workshop, participants indicated that: personal disclosures during the workshop continued to affect them (88%, 76%, and 78%); the workshop affected their relationships with the most intimate people in their lives (84%, 71%, and 59%); the workshop permanently altered their views of male-female relationships (68%, 86%, and 69%); and the workshop empowered them to affect change with gender role conflict in people’s lives (80%, 91%, and 74%).

Participants in Workshop I were sent a follow-up questionnaire 2 years after the workshop, and Workshop II participants received the same questionnaire 1 year later.  These extended follow-ups assessed whether participants had taken action as planned on the last day of the workshop, as well as the overall impact of the workshop.  Over 70% of the participants indicated they had carried out some of their personal and professional action plans, whereas 50% of Workshop I and 29% of Workshop II participants indicated that they had implemented some of their political action plans over both time periods.  Finally, over 87% of the participants indicated that the workshop continued to influence their lives either 1 or 2 years later.

Discussion

The workshop created an environment supporting dialogue about GRC and sexism using the gender role journey metaphor.  The evaluation data indicated positive reactions to the workshop as participants reported personal learning, emotional experiences, and continued impact over time. A majority of the respondents indicated they had implemented some of their personal and professional action plans when contacted 1 or 2 years later.

The workshop is one example of how research and theory on gender roles can be translated to therapeutic experiences for adults.  Helping men and women build alliances within themselves and with each other is important in the ongoing gender role dialogue. Counselors and psychologists, committed to more humane and nonviolent relationships between and among the sexes, have much to offer adults by encouraging mutual alliances in the gender role journey and the prevention of sexism (Albee, 1981).

TABLE 4

Dimensions and Curriculum of Gender Role Journey Workshop¹

¹ From O’Neil and Roberts Carroll (1988).  Reprinted with permission, Wiley Publications. The curriculum and media were annually updated and therefore Table 4 represents only the curriculum in the early years.

Gender Role Journey: A Metaphor to Understand the Course and Yourself

Marilyn Monroe’s Gender Role Journey Lecture

A publication of using Marilyn Monroe’s gender role journey in the classroom is found below:
Goldberg, J. & O’Neil, J.M. (1997). Marilyn Monroe’s gender role journey:  Promoting women’s development. Journal of College Student Development, 38, 543-545.

Frank Sinatra's Unresolved Psychosocial Problems