Photo Credit Tom Pumford
Men and Emotional Intelligence
Breaking the "Strong Silent" Stereotype
BY TAMMI PICKLE
or decades, men
have been told
that to be a man,
you need to be strong, not complain, and keep your emotions inside. The "strong, silent" type, the man who was steady, stoic, and emotionally reserved was the epitome of manhood. Being strong meant that you could endure any pain, and being vulnerable meant that you were weak.
But that's no longer the case.
Being emotionally intelligent is no longer a threat to masculinity, but rather one of the biggest strengths that a man could have.
The Legacy of Silence
Boys are taught from a very early age that "boys don't cry," "be a man," "handle it," and so on. They are taught that their emotions are not valid and that they should instead express anger or detachment, which are considered manlier emotions.
But what happens to their emotional well-being? They are not made to stop feeling; they are made to stop showing their emotions, and that's a big difference. They are made to be silent, and that's not a sign of strength; that's a sign of detachment from their emotions.
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