Men: Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution? Behaviorism, Politics and Masculinities

Abstract

The expansion of social movements focused on gender issues has raised questions concerning the supposed naturalness and universality of behaviors culturally attributed to men and women. Corroborating these movements, studies on masculinities are aimed to elaborate historically and socially situated explanations about the inherent diversity of the category “men”. Thus, the different possibilities of being a man confer a plurality to masculinities, which is manifested through various configurations of practices that establish relationships of domination, subordination, complicity and marginalization among themselves, resulting in a hierarchy of masculinity practices. In this hierarchy, practices of hegemonic masculinity are those that occupy a dominant position, representing the type of masculinity most admired and honored mostly by men in a given place and historical period. Hegemonic masculinity, in its current form, has misogyny and homophobia as its pillars, contemplating a series of rigid and potentially harmful behaviors not only for men, but also for women. However, the practices that characterize it are always provisional, that is, subject to transformation. The modification of masculinity practices requires the elaboration of masculinity politics through which groups of individuals organize themselves toward a common objective. Considering the harmful effects caused by current practices of hegemonic masculinity, politics that aim its transformation must be committed to the promotion and strengthening of social justice. Whereas the development of new studies on masculinities demands an expansion of dialogue with other scientific fields, Behavior Analysis is a science potentially capable of contributing to the description and proposal of solutions to behavioral problems in this regard, since it has been increasingly aligned with the study of socially relevant topics. That said, this article aimed to discuss the possible paths for the elaboration and strengthening of masculinity politics congruent with social justice in behavior-analytic terms. Based on the works of R. Connell and B. F. Skinner, we discuss the production and strengthening of masculinity politics congruent with social justice with the help of the concepts of cultural design, self-control, ethical control, countercontrol and face-to-face control. Behavior Analysis has shown a strong potential to contribute productively to political discussions within the scope of men and masculinity studies. We conclude that consistent individual changes in the life of men must be supported by changes in their broader social and cultural contexts. Men must necessarily be integrated into this transformative process, since they play a significant role not only in the production, but in the continuity of masculinity practices that generate harmful consequences for women and men themselves. That is, men must be treated not only as part of the problem, but above all as part of the solution.