Massey Documents by Type
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Item “Why aren’t you crying more?” : young New Zealand men talk mental health in a shifting climate of masculinities : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand(Massey University, 2025-11-02) Peacock, Matthew“Why Aren’t You Crying More?” invites an examination of the mental health attitudes and practices of young men in the context of New Zealand masculinities. There appears to be increasing recognition that traditional, hegemonic masculinities are implicated in men’s mental health practices and outcomes. This has facilitated a proliferation of public discourse about men’s mental health issues. Moreover, there appears to be increasing attenuation and nonconformity of traditional masculinities in certain contexts, particularly amongst young men. There has been limited exploration of the implications of attenuated and nonconforming masculinities for men’s mental health. Furthermore, there is little research that has examined the possibility of shifts in gendered mental health attitudes or practices, particularly in New Zealand. This research begins to address these gaps by exploring the experiences of young New Zealand men. This research asks, “how are young New Zealand men experiencing masculinity, and what are the implications for their mental health attitudes and practices?” In depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with thirteen young, everyday New Zealand men. The analysis employed social constructionism informed Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Findings depict a social context in which young New Zealand men’s mental health practices are still influenced by masculine norms of strength and toughness. Simultaneously, participants suggest these norms are softening, with reducing stigma and social punishment of nonconformity. Participants experience promotion of traditionally non masculine mental health practices, and observe normalisation of emotional expression, help-seeking practices, and vulnerability in men. They caveat that these movements are neither universal nor ubiquitous, as promotional efforts fail to simultaneously address the dynamic conditions that perpetuate men’s conformity to norms of strength and invulnerability. Within this context of conflicting gendered mental health messaging, this thesis finds that young men do not simply accept or reject prescribed norms. Instead, young men engage in dynamic processes of adaptation, resistance, and selective disclosure, depending on context, trust, and perceived risk. This thesis contributes to the existing research corpus by applying emerging contemporary masculinities work to the field of mental health. It calls for future interventions that are nuanced and empathetic, and offers considered insights for how to support New Zealand men’s wellbeing.Item Rural masculinity, 1980-1995 : discursive change in rural New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Geography at Massey University(Massey University, 1999) Maguire, Antony MarkThis thesis is a social constructionist analysis of the construction of rural masculinity in New Zealand. As such, I have sought to link the major changes in the relationship between New Zealand farmers and the State since 1984, to a perceptible shift in the way that farmers conceptualise themselves. Chapter One discusses the restructuring of the New Zealand economy since 1984. I concentrate on the changes to the agricultural sector and the way in which these changes have altered the relationship between farmers and the State. My aim is to background these changes, as I go on to discuss their cultural implications in later chapters. Chapter Two is also a 'background' chapter in which I discuss the evolution of theories of masculinity, and place my reading of the construction of New Zealand rural masculinity in this context. I also outline the theoretical underpinnings of Social Construction Theory, and discuss it's application in this thesis. In Chapter Three, I perform a semiotic analysis of 85 advertisements from New Zealand Farmer, Straight Furrow and New Zealand Dairy Exporter. My aim was to determine if the portrayal of farmers in these advertisements had changed in the 1980-1995 period, and I conclude that these portrayals had indeed altered in response to the economic restructuring of the rural sector. Finally, in Chapter Four, I discuss and analyse the transcripts of the three focus-group style interviews that I conducted between December 1997 and February 1998. Throughout this chapter I compare and contrast my findings in Chapter Three with the responses of the farmers to my questions, as well as contextualising their responses in terms of the restructuring of New Zealand's agricultural sector since 1984. I then draw a number of conclusions about changes in the hegemonic discourses of agriculture in New Zealand.Item Well-being in the older male : an investigation of mental, social and physical well-being indicators in Wanganui men : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Nursing at Massey University(Massey University, 1998) Neville, Stephen JohnNew Zealand's older population is gradually increasing. This will mean the number of people with problems related to psychological and general well-being will also rise. When compared to women, men do not live as long, are more likely to die from intentional injury and use primary health services less. There is a paucity of research on older men, particularly within a New Zealand context. Because nurses work closely with people in primary, secondary and tertiary care settings they are well placed to undertake research and utilise research findings from studies relating to the older adult to promote health and well-being. The intention of the present study was to gain a greater understanding of those factors which impact on well-being in older men. Based on Wan, Odell and Lewis's (1982) model of general well-being, mental, social and physical well-being indicators were investigated to examine their relationships to overall psychological well-being and physical health. The data for the present study were collected from a non-probability sample of 217 older males (over 65 years) residing in the Wanganui area. Multiple regression analyses revealed that of the mental, social and physical well-being indicators only satisfaction with social supports and number of visits to the doctor in the previous 12 months were significantly related to psychological well-being, and number of medications and illness/disabilities were significantly related to physical health as measured by self ratings of health. Findings are discussed in relation to the literature. It is clear that nurses, and other health professionals, need to be aware of the relationship between objective health status and subjective well-being, and the distinction between the quality and quantity of support in order to provide effective care to older men. Finally the general limitations and future research implications are discussed.Item Understanding the cancer-related distress and coping of men from provincial New Zealand : 'bullet proof' meets radical prostatectomy : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand(Massey University, 2014) Heron-Speirs, Heather AdeleMen suffer inequities regarding their health which may largely be attributed to masculine culture. The present study sought to better meet men's needs for psycho-oncological care by describing men's cancer-related distress and coping, and deriving from that knowledge suggestions for intervening more effectively to address their distress. The study used participant action research methodology. Twenty-one Pākehā and six Māori men from rural provinces of New Zealand with lower socio-economic statistics, were interviewed in depth about their cancer-related distress and coping using a semi-structured format. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and thematically analysed, producing preliminary descriptions of distress, coping, and a distress processing metaphor. These were discussed with small teams drawn from the original participants for verification and adjustment. Suggestions for intervention consistent with the findings were also discussed with these men. The description of distress summarises a wide range of matters under superordinate themes of: distress featuring a lack of control; anxiety or despondency at anticipated or actual loss; 'black' feelings (degradation, anger, self-pity, guilt and regret); and empathic distress. It includes the reporting of 'no distress' and ambiguous reporting. Dynamics associated with each of these groupings is discussed, notably the association of traditional masculine norms with 'no distress' reporting and with more sources of distress, and the wide range of distress associated with sexual dysfunction as a side-effect of cancer treatment. The description of coping lists four widely used coping strengths, namely: a positive attitude; an active and practical orientation; rationality and control; and social support/helping others. Use of social support varied with ethnicity and allegiance to traditional masculine norms. The processing metaphor describes a trajectory of suddenly losing and then gradually regaining control, which is likened to being overwhelmed by a rogue wave while paddling at the beach. Common to both descriptions and highlighted by the metaphor is the significance of control, which is underpinned by information. Accordingly, a new paradigm regarding the provision of information as part of standard treatment pathways is suggested. This features relevant, timely, and accessible information orienting men to the disease, its treatment and side-effects, the medical system, and social services.