Masculinity describes those behaviors, traits, and practices that are associated with males in a specific society. Masculinity, or rather multiple, flexible masculinities, are embedded in gender relations and defined in contrast to femininity. Masculinities are not biologically determined but shaped by the institutions men are embedded in and constructed in everyday life. This means that masculinity is contradictory and dynamic. Masculinity is what men do rather than what or how they are. To be considered male, men must enact culturally accepted male roles or rather perform masculinity scripts. By doing so, they become agents that actively construct gender. Gender is constructed through complex interactions between men and women. Men and women contribute to the maintenance of the status quo by reenacting gender roles that they acquired through socialization. Male dominance is the result of a complex set …show more content…
Kupers coined the term toxic masculinity to describe those aspects of masculinity that are harmful to men, women and/or society, like domination, devaluation of women, homophobia or violence. Not all aspects of traditional Western masculinity are considered negative and toxic masculinity excludes neutral or positive attributes.
However, this begs the question whether positive and negative traits can be separated and whether traits are unambiguously negative or positive or if some are more ambivalent, depending on the context or intensity of the trait. The concept of psychological flexibility, the ability to adapt to a situation on different levels, might in some cases be an important complement to understand if a trait is toxic or