*Perceptions of the Male Role*   Watts, R.H., Jr.,  Borders, L.D. (2005). Boys perceptions of the male role: Understanding gender role conflict in adolescent males. The Journal of Men Studies, 13 (2), 267-280.   Randolph Watts Jr. and L. Di Anne Borders of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro reported on small interview groups of adolescent males enrolled in North Carolina public schools. The adolescents were also members of a local youth organization. The eleven participants ranged in age from 1418 (M = 16.2 years; SD = 1.18). Nine participants were Caucasian, one was African-American, and one was an international student (Eastern European). The participants took part in individual and group interviews, with the focus of the interview being constructs represented within gender role conflict theory(p. 270).

Their first research question dealt with restricted affect between men, and they reported support for the gender role conflict theory of restricted affectionate behavior between men(p. 271). The participants shared stories and concerns related to being labeled gay if they shared or demonstrated affection toward another male. Other participants reported not having feelings of affection for friends who were male.  Another research question delved into the broader question of possible restricted emotionality among adolescent boys. Again, many boys said it was inappropriate to express emotions that they felt because that came across as not masculine or ‘unmanly(p. 271). Several boys indicated that anger or rage were the only acceptable emotions for expression. As the researchers put it, the more sensitive the emotion, the more difficult to express(p. 272).  The remaining questions dealt with perceived conflicts between work or school and family, need for success or achievement, and gender role conflict. The researchers concluded that the participants in this small study seemed to support the validity of gender role conflict in adolescent boys.  For the Christian counselor, this study raises interesting questions about what is biblical masculinity and how is it to be shaped and expressed in terms of gender role? It would be interesting to conduct a similar study within a distinctively Christian context and perhaps compare experiences, attitudes, and perceptions.    *Internet Pornography*  Yoder, V.C., Virden, III, T.B.,  Amin, K. (2005). Internet pornography and loneliness: An association? Sexual Addiction  Compulsivity, 12, 19-44.   Vincent Yoder and his colleagues from Argosy University studied the relationship between Internet pornography use and loneliness. They reported on 400 Internet users; 114 females and 286 males ranging in age from 2161 (53.5% Caucasian and 23% married). The researchers predicted that increased time viewing Internet pornography would correlate with higher rates of loneliness.  The researchers found support for a relationship between Internet pornography use and loneliness. In fact, the main predictor of loneliness was time spent viewing Internet pornography (number of days per week).

Interestingly, the second highest predictor of loneliness was non-pornographic use of the Internet. The researchers wondered if this association was due to less human contact found in particular employment settings.  Not surprising, males scored significantly higher than females on the loneliness scale. An additional interesting finding was related to clergy. Only six of the 400 participants were clergy. However, this group was the loneliest (by employment clusters). Again, the researchers considered whether this was due the stressors of employment and the unique position of authority and spiritual piety(p. 34) as it pertains to being clergy.  This study certainly confirms the intuitive sense many people have that there is a relationship between Internet pornography use and loneliness. Given the significant increase in Internet pornography, that is available via the Internet, it can be helpful to investigate the relationship between pornography use and loneliness and to begin to identity ways to prevent the misuse of the Internet.

*Myths About African-American Fathers*  Smith, C.A., Krohn, M.D., Chu, R.,  Best, O. (2005). African-American Fathers: Myths and realities about their involvement with their firstborn children. Journal of Family Issues, 27 (7), 975-1001.  This study is based upon data from the Rochester Youth Development Study, a longitudinal study of urban youth. Carolyn Smith and her colleagues from the University of Albany reported on young men who were fathers by age 22 (N = 193, 67% of whom identified as African-American, 21% Hispanic, and 12% White).  Smith and her colleagues make the case that The extant literature on father involvement tends to perpetuate an image of African-American fathers as absent or invisible.In this study, they examined father involvement in terms of contact and financial support. They found that African-American young fathers did not differ significantly from other young fathers in terms of support of, and contact with, their first biological child. For example, African-American fathers were not significantly less likely to reside with their eldest child than [were] other fathers(p. 988). Similarly, among fathers who [were] nonresidential, there [was] no significant difference in either the level of contact or the amount of financial support between African-American fathers and other fathers (p. 988).

The researchers also looked at what factors predicted involvement among African-American fathers. Interestingly, relationship conflict and public assistance were two particularly important variables. The degree of conflict that fathers have with the mothers of their children is inversely related to living with the child and receiving public assistance is positively related to co-residence(p. 995). In another analysis this time of nonresident African-American fathers  were less likely to have contact with their first biological child if the mother had a partner in her home. The biological father having another partner, however, or having other children in his home, did not lower the amount of contact or support for their biological child.  The researchers made the observation that level of involvement may still not be what it could be, that is, this is an area that can still be addressed and improved. But it would perpetuate a certain negative image to think of African-American fathers as absent or invisible,while the other fathers in this study were just as likely to be involved with (or absent from) their first biological child.

*Traditional Masculinity*  Burn, S.M.,  Ward, A.Z. (2005). Men conformity to traditional masculinity and relationship satisfaction. Psychology of Men  Masculinity, 6 (4), 254-263.  Shawn Burn and A. Zachary Ward of California Polytechnic State University report on a new measure of masculinity, the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (CMNI). The participants in the study were 170 male and 137 female undergraduate psychology students (M = 20.2 years, SD = 1.15), the majority of whom were Euro American (79.3%) (while 9.5% identified as Asian American, 5.9% as Latin American-Hispanic, 1.6% as African-American, and 1.6% as Pacific Islanders).

Among the hypotheses, the researchers expected that there would be a relationship between conformity to masculine norms and reduced relationship satisfaction for both men and women. The results suggest that conformity to traditional masculinity is negatively associated with relationship satisfaction for both men and women.  A second hypothesis dealt with how various sub scales (e.g., Emotional Control, Power Over Women, Pursuit of Status) would be negatively associated with relationship satisfaction for men and women. This hypothesis was supported for women but only received partial support for men. The final hypothesis predicted that these negative associations would be stronger for women (rating male partners) than for the men (rating themselves). This hypothesis was also supported: Men conformity to traditional masculine norms more greatly influences the relationship satisfaction of women(p. 260). The researchers recognize that the influence could be in either direction: Does conformity to traditional masculine norms decrease women relationship satisfaction or does decreased relationship satisfaction lead women to negatively stereotype their male partners as conforming to traditional masculinity norms?(p. 261).

The researchers suggest that a therapeutic application might be to discuss with clients ways in which conformity to cultural masculine norms is helpful and ways in which it may be less desirable, such as in intimate relationships. Such an approach avoids negative mes- sages about traditional masculinity and may facilitate meaningful reflection and discussion.   *Anger and Social Appraisal*   Ever, C., Fischer, A.H., Rodriquez Mosque , P.M.,  Man stead, A.S.R. (2005). Anger and social appraisal: A spicy sex difference? Emotion, 5 (3), 258-266.   Catherine Ever and her colleagues published an interesting study on anger expression and social appraisal. One hundred nineteen participants (50 men and 69 women who were under- graduate students at the University of Amsterdam) were in a fairly elaborate study comparing men and women social appraisal and expression of anger. Participants were randomly assigned to social and nonsocial conditions, meaning they were told they would meet the person who angered them (social) or would not meet that person (nonsocial). The expression of anger was operationalized as the amount of hot sauce participants gave to the person who made them angry.  The researchers reported that men and women did not show differences in the amount of anger they experienced. Gender differences lay in their expression of anger: men gave more hot sauce to the person with whom they were angry. The effect was moderated by the social condition: when participants did not think they would meet the person who angered them, men and women showed the same amount of expressed anger; however, when participants thought they would meet the person with whom they were angry, women expressed less anger than did men. Women were influenced more by possible negative consequences of expressing anger, and women also dis- played more empathic concern than did men.  Ever and her colleagues wonder whether these differences are related to how men and women are socialized to express anger. In any case, it is an interesting area of research and future studies may contribute to our understanding of gender differences in anger expression.   Mark A. Yarhouse, Psy.D., is associate professor of psychology at Regent University, Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is co-author (with Lori A. Burkett) of the book, Sexual Identity: A Guide to Living in the Time Between the Times (University Press of America).Take help from telephone psychologist.