Presenter(s): Katherine Jones—Anthropology
Faculty Mentor(s): Alexana Hickmott, Frances White
Session: Prerecorded Poster Presentation
Recently, male roles within the nuclear family structure have begun to shift, and there has been increased interest in Normative Male Alexithymia (NMA) . NMA refers to the inability of men to put emotions into words . It has been found to result from the pressure to restrict emotional expression from a young age to align with traditional masculine gender roles in Western countries . Emotions which signal vulnerability and fragility are suppressed, namely fear and sadness, as well as attachment emotions such as affection and fondness . Men who have NMA often have significant difficulty describing their emotions even when they are in severe distress, lack immediate bodily experience of emotion, or respond to their feelings of vulnerability with aggression . A review of available literature investigating the social consequences of NMA reveals that there is a negative relationship between NMA and relationship satisfaction and communication quality . There is also a positive relationship between NMA and fear of intimacy . There may also be significant correlations between NMA and low relationship satisfaction in platonic as well as romantic relationships, emotional empathy, or a lack of willingness to utilize mental health and medical services . Most studies of NMA acknowledge that NMA is a recent societal phenomenon and have only just begun to examine and understand its importance . As the modern family shifts and men are expected to take on increasingly nurturing roles, they need the ability to recognize, effectively communicate, and process their emotions .