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Allowing Safe Expression
According to Miller , “ Boys , who from a young age are encouraged to share their tears and emotions will naturally grow into men who feel their vulnerability and express themselves in socially acceptable ways . Nature wires their mature brains in such a way that they have self-control and do not need to physically act out on their frustration or burst into tears whenever they feel moved by powerful emotions . This is because they ’ re able to feel their emotions . Rather than suppressing or acting out on them , they learn to process them and find healthy ways to express themselves . Knowing this , there ’ s no reason for us to fear the tears of our boys or cling to the misguided belief that tears are unmanly .”
Psychologist Ronald Levant of the University of Akron has suggested that “ no words for feelings ” characterizes the emotional condition of many males . So , a good place to start is with socialemotional learning .
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