Abstract

Studies of masculinity and its construction have been the subject of gender studies for decades; however, perspectives on its nature and value are evolving. Masculine denotes a particular and celebrated way of being in the world for boys, and is perpetuated through institutions, families, peers and the media. But what about those individuals who identify as male and do not represent stereotypical qualities of masculinity? How does this incongruence complicate their sense of identity or authenticity, and affect their relationships with others? The common trope “boys will be boys” has reverberated through Western society, dismissing male behavior as a simple and harmless inevitability of biology. However, toxic masculinity, a narrow and restrictive description of manhood which celebrates status, aggression, violence, anger and emotional repression, has emerged and has been increasingly studied over the past decade (O’Malley, 2016). Toxic masculinity is affecting the health of boys and men, and securing more insidious consequences for all members of society. This philosophical inquiry argues that art therapy can be used with adolescent males to challenge the damaging and constricting parts of the social construct of masculinity. Existing literature will be reviewed to explore why there is danger in the perpetuation of toxic masculinity, strategies for conducting effective therapy with adolescents and boys in particular, and how art therapists are uniquely positioned to facilitate the repudiation of masculine paradigms using specific art therapy approaches and interventions. The research will contend that undermining the power of the traditional masculine paradigm using art therapy techniques will allow today’s young men to address societal expectations of masculinity, reconcile their true selves, thrive as healthy adults, and to break violent and damaging intergenerational cycles of thought and behavior which result in social inequality and oppression.