Date of Award

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to understand if spirituality influenced the social construction of masculinity in the lived experiences of college men. A phenomenological study was conducted using a social constructivist worldview by conducting 13 semistructured interviews at a four-year public university in the Midwest. The interviews were digitally recorded and analyzed revealing the emergence of six themes: (a) fathers shape their sons' understanding of masculinity, (b) emotions are acceptable to embrace, (c) spiritual men experience unique tensions with their peers, (d) spirituality sets men apart from their peers, (e) a spiritual guy code exists, and (f) spirituality influences masculinity. The participant narratives gave voice to the reality that the level to which spirituality has formative influence over one's construction of masculinity is determined by the level of salience and commitment a man has toward his spiritual beliefs. Abes, Jones, and McEwen's (2007) reconceptualized model of multiple dimensions of identity was a foundational building block in the development of a new model that emerged from the interviews called the spirituality and masculinity influence model. This model functions in two ways: (a) it visually describes the complexity of voices, shaping factors, privileges and oppression men navigate through as they construct their unique version of masculinity and (b) it describes how an individual's spiritual beliefs have the ability to shape, critique, and override various levels of social, contextual, and interpersonal influences that occur in his life. The implications of this study are particularly helpful for student development professionals, faculty, college ministry partners, and others interested in the development and formation of college men. First, there is power in having conversations with men about their masculine and spiritual development. Helping men uncover and verbalize their masculine and spiritual narratives had a profound impact on the individuals involved. Traversing though the hearts and lives of men provided participants the space to make their unconscious masculine and spiritual beliefs conscious, which allowed them to become the educators of their own lives and create new levels of personal awareness. Second, as men grew in self-awareness, it offered them strength and assurance to differentiate themselves from cultures' rigid masculine norms and provided them the freedom to live as they were uniquely created. These intentional conversations offered the participants space to reflect on their lives and encouraged further congruence with their masculine and spiritual beliefs and their lived experiences. Lastly, understanding and hearing the complexity of a student's masculine and spiritual journey builds empathy and new levels of awareness for the listener. As new masculine narratives are told and understood, this can create new opportunities for society to share different stories about men by showing the complexity and uniqueness each man embodies, instead of repeating one masculine narrative from a deficit model perspective.

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