It's been interesting reading "The socialization of boys and men in the modern era: An evolutionary mismatch"
"There is a strong need to improve the current male socialisation process. Many boys are failing to develop the skills and values they need to lead caring and productive lives that will benefit them and the people around them"
What is the trajectory that results in academic failure, drug use, antisocial behaviour, depression, and risky sexual behaviours in males that seems to benefit from more “nurturing” environments? Those who are vulnerable to maladaptive developmental outcomes often need a more nurturing, prosocial developmental environment. Adverse social environments strongly contribute to negative outcomes
Traditional masculine gender norms tend to have a variety of maladaptive physical and mental health outcomes including risk taking, impulsivity, anger and aggression, heart disease, depression, and premature death. Commonly socialised masculine traits such as aggression, autonomy, expected success, and emotional stoicism often prove detrimental
Boys and men tend to experience certain developmental difficulties at greater rates than females and often develop less sophisticated relational skills including patience, listening skills, empathy, sensitivity, and warmth in which they can be taught better awareness, empathy, attitudes and peer norms. They are lacking in social-emotional skills, the competencies to recognize and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, appreciate the perspectives of others, establish and maintain positive relationships, make responsible decisions, and handle interpersonal situations constructively
Males respond to a stressful, threatening environment by developing a high degree of risky, aggressive behavior as part of a “fast-life” developmental trajectory, particularly if marginalised due to social rejection. Societies’ ability to socialise and usefully contain the more “negative” but often functional dimensional aspects of the male phenotype has been reduced but continual practice of inhibitory control and social reinforcement of prosocial behaviour can enhance self-regulatory skills and social competence.
If children fail to develop good self-regulation and social skills they become accustomed to responding to other’s aversive behavior with aversive actions of their own.
Psychosocial mentoring programs have also found positive behavioral, social, emotional, and academic outcomes. Prosocial peers can be used to increase interpersonal attraction and acceptance, support the development of new friendships, and, in an educational context, promote academic engagement and achievement in the presence of strong emotional attachment, reciprocity, progressive complexity, and a balance of power that gradually shifts from the developed person in favor of the developing person.
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