Restrictive Emotionality in Indian Men: A Hindrance to Help Seeking Behaviour

Abstract

Men are subject to a lot of pressure because of the roles, norms and responsibilities assigned to them by society which in turn is associated with masculinity. These factors have created hindrances for men to seek help when they need it. There is a lack of research conducted on the fears and difficulties in expressing their feelings or finding the right words to express their emotions in Indian men. The research provides an understanding of why men don’t express themselves as opposed to early research which focused only on the gender difference in emotional expression. This research follows the mixed method and data was analyzed using SPSS and Thematic analysis. The results indicate that Indian men have a moderate level of restrictive emotionality due to family circumstances, societal expectations, fear of being negatively labelled, the role of media, lack of positive role models and so forth are seen as contributing factors for being emotionally restrictive. This research also highlights various coping mechanisms used by men to deal with their problems, it provides an understanding of how men want to be supported and gives suggestions on how to promote emotional expressiveness and help seeking behaviour in Indian men.