Unisa Press
Masculinity Meets Humanity
An Adapted Model of Masculinised Psychotherapy
| Author: | Shahieda Jansen |
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| Published: | 2022-11-30 00:00:00.0 |
| ISBN: | 978-1-77615-159-2 |
| Number of pages: | 222 |
| This book is also available in electronic format | |
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| ISBN: | 978-1-77615-160-8 |
About the book
In a patriarchal society like South Africa, men are frequently portrayed as strong, invincible and powerful. However, high rates of violence committed by men suggest that they are struggling with negative emotions. Chronic absence of fathers brought on by migrant labour practices, alcohol and drug addiction as a means of escaping reality, and unemployment, among others, caused some men to resort to using violence as a coping mechanism.
In this book the author, a clinical psychologist, reflects on her psychotherapy experiences with male clients as she debunks the myth of male alexithymia, which refers to an inability to recognise and express emotions. Men are apparently disengaged from wellness practices as they may be reluctant to seek treatment for their mental health issues. An ubuntu-inspired personhood discourse of trust, empathy and transformation theoretically underpins the author’s clinical practice.
Men’s groups’ healer-participants are willing to be vulnerable with one another in exchanging support to each other’s suffering and freely share accounts of trauma, loss and abandonment. The integration of the culturally familiar philosophy of ubuntu challenges the hegemony of strictly modern Western psychological discourses and theories. The latter have not always been uncritically accepted in the African context, even though she, like most of her mental health colleagues, largely draws on Euro-American psychological theories and practices. Although the book is not a manual for how to do therapy with men and not a panacea to resolve men’s issues, it can ignite empathic insights and kindle gender sensitive responses men’s challenges, locally and internationally.
The book signals that men can rely on the support of some women to address issues that may be difficult to resolve on their own. Women, who are typically the victims of gender-based violence mostly committed by men, may also have a role to play in male rehabilitation and healing. Usually, men are not included in psychosocial activities that can help women, but this book makes the case that men can play a crucial part in making society a safer place for everyone—men, women, children, and the broader public.
About the author
Clinical psychologist Dr Shahieda Jansen serves as Unisa Western Cape's acting regional director. She worked as a registered nurse, midwife, and psychiatric nurse in her initial careers. She earned her psychology degree from Unisa after completing both full- and part-time studies there. The youth of higher education were the ones who inspired the adaptation of psychological theories and practices to the sociocultural contexts of South Africa.
Shahieda previously managed the University of the Western Cape's counselling centre, where she oversaw the provision of counselling services to the student body and provided master's level psychology internship training to both local and foreign psychology interns. Her clinical interests include the application of indigenous models of human nature and masculinised personal transformation for boys and men.