Male Gender Role Conflict and Multiculturalism

The new multicultural guidelines reemphasized the importance of developing knowledge of, and skills in working with, individuals outside of the majority group. In this article, the author will detail recent advances in understanding how identified consequences of male gender role socialization, specifically male gender role conflict (GRC), intersect with other aspects of race, cultures, and sexual orientations. The literature surrounding male gender role conflict will be briefly summarized. Next, the multicultural competencies framework of beliefs and attitudes, knowledge, and skills, will be used to outline how GRC might apply to some men of color and offer suggestions for counseling practice. After synthesizing what this might offer counseling psychologists, the general implications for research and theory will be explored.