Joel Curtis – Psychologist
The last thing a man wants to do is talk about his personal problems. If a man has a problem he will bury it or burn it, but he won’t talk about it. Men are expected to fix problems, they don’t have problems. If they do have a problem and they can’t fix it, it’s the most confronting thing that can happen to a man.
The problem for most men is that they haven’t been shown how to open up. Men don’t talk about their problems because they have learnt from past experience that the best way to deal with a problem is to keep it to themselves. There is still a notion that men don’t cry. As a result when there is a problem a man will try and deal with it himself. If he can’t solve the problem he will be very reluctant to talk about it.
Talking about a problem is seen as a weakness for men. They are expected to fix problems not talk about their own. Men don’t talk because they are afraid of what other people will think of them. Suffering in silence is better for a man than opening up.
It’s time to change this myth. It’s time for men to speak up and ask for help. It takes more courage to ask for help than to remain silent. A real man is someone who knows when he needs help and isn’t afraid to ask for it.
