El discreto encanto de ser masculino

Abstract

Six major premises are in the background and are studied: a) sexual dimorphism exists and survives, b) masculine forms of culture are honorable, c) maleness is to normality as machismo is to psychopathology, d) virility is still a positive and definitive quality of men, e) only one out of three psychological researches were based on male data sponsored often by public funding by the end of the 20th century, f) men now go underground: they keep silent and let others talk about them based on second-hand data. Throughout centuries males forged their social identity by themselves, sharing patterns across cultures and borders. Males meet psychologists in psychotherapy, in counselling, in coaching and mentoring programs, in training and development programs. There are no Men Institutes sponsored by public funding to do research on matters and problems typical of men. In Psychology males are just a minority: they do and let others do. Paternity tests show that about one out of four may be precisely putative fathers. Sexual initiative is not a male privilege. Males express their emotions in a manly manner. Polychronous time schemes and activities are widespread after new technologies. Directive leadership has masculine connotations. Systematizing prevails among males as a way of thinking. Men get their salary after what they do and devoted time. Creativity and inventiveness seem to flow among men and many geniuses faced prosecution or were ostracized. Rarely men view themselves as centre or first sex. These are categories invented somewhere around. Metrosexual, technosexual, retrosexual, ubersexual are just nicknames to avoid talking about maleness.