Self-Compassion and Masculinity

Men athletes experience unique challenges in sport that often stem from pressure from external and internal sources to conform to traditional masculine norms (Anderson & McGuire, 2010; Connell & Messerschmidt, 2005). When men athletes feel that they have failed in sport, they experience negative emotions such as shame and humiliation (Reis et al., 2021).  

 

Recent literature shows the potential of self-compassion to help men athletes in similar and unique ways to women athletes (Reis et al., 2019; Reis et al., 2021). Men athletes’ representations of masculinities (e.g., adherence to traditional masculine norms) may impact their experiences with and willingness to practice self-compassion. 

Key Findings

In response to a hypothetical emotionally difficult sport-specific scenario (i.e., “You are responsible for losing an athletic competition for your team”; Reis et al., 2019):

Men athletes who scored low on self-compassion were more likely to exhibit destructive reactions, such as: (Reis et al., 2019).

  • Rumination
  • Passivity
  • Self-Criticism
  • Shame
  • Self-stigma of seeking help
  • Fear of failure and negative evaluation

Men athletes who scored high on self-compassion were more likely to exhibit constructive reactions, such as: (Reis et al., 2019).

  • Positivity
  • Perseverance
  • Responsibility
  • Self-Compassion
  • Psychological well-being
  • Self-esteem
  • Competitive Men athletes are likely to conform to traditional masculine norms and in one study, had higher self-compassion vs. the comparison group. (Wasylkiw & Clairo, 2018).
  • Those who exhibited traditional masculine norms were less likely to seek help due to self-stigma. (Wasylkiw & Clairo, 2018).
  • Strong adherence to certain traditional masculine norms (e.g., violence) might be a roadblock to some men athletes’ acceptance and practice of self-compassion (Reis et al., 2019).
  • Men who represent an inclusive masculinity (i.e., an open, accepting, non-judgmental view by men of other men’s unique representations of masculinity; Anderson & McGuire, 2010) are more self-compassionate, potentially unlocking the door to enhanced benefits of self-compassion (Reis et al., 2019)
  • Self-compassion has been linked to increased psychological well-being and decreased levels of shame in men athletes (Reis et al., 2019). 

Video

Strategies

Recommended References

Anderson, E. (2009). Inclusive masculinity: The changing nature of masculinities. Routledge.

 

Anderson, E., & McGuire, R. (2010). Inclusive masculinity theory and the gendered politics of men’s rugby. Journal of Gender Studies, 19, 249–261. DOI: 10.1080/09589236.2010.494341

 

Connell, R., & Messerschmidt, J. (2005). Hegemonic masculinity: Rethinking the concept. Gender and Society, 19(6), 829-859. DOI: 10.1177/0891243205278639

 

Parent, M.C., & Moradi, B. (2009). Confirmatory factor analysis of the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory and development of the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory-46. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 10, 175–189. DOI: 10.1037/a0015481

 

Reis, N. A., Kowalski, K. C., Mosewich, A. D., & Ferguson, L. J. (2019). Exploring self-compassion and versions of masculinity in men athletes. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 41(6). DOI: 10.1123/jsep.2019-0061.

 

Reis, N. A., Kowalski, K. C., Mosewich, A. D., & Ferguson, L. J. (2021). ‘That’s how I am dealing with it – that is dealing with it’: Exploring men athletes’ self-compassion through the lens of masculinity. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health. DOI: 10.1080/2159676X.2021.1920455

 

Wasylkiw, L., & Clairo, J. (2018). Help seeking in men: When masculinity and self-compassion collide. Psychology of Men & Masculinity, 19(2), 234–242. DOI: 10.1037/men0000086