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Back to Subjects - Human Sexuality

Behind The Mask

Behind The Mask William Pollack, in his article “Inside the World of Boys: Behind the Mask of Masculinity”, discusses on how boy tries to hide behind the mask and the stereotypical of masculinity. He demonstrates how boy hide their deepest though and feelings and real self. Pollack open the essay with “a fourteen-year-old boy, he is doing badly in school and he might fail algebra, but when teacher or his parent ask about it, he said everything is just fine. He hide his true identity behind the mask, and let no one see his true self.” After read the story, I think the story is really useful source to write an essay about how boy become men and they are emotionless. Pollack is a well-respected author of a number of books, to guide boys successfully through the many challenges they face. Pollack is the Director of the Centers for Men and Young Men and the Director of Continuing Education Psychology at McLean Hospital, and is Assistant Clinical Professor Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He is the Past President of the Massachusetts Psychological Association, a member the Boston Psychoanalytic Society, a Diplomat in Clinical Psychology and a Founding Member and Fellow of The Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinity. Some of the book that Pollack had wrote are Real Boy’s Voices, New Psychotherapy for Men, The Re-creation of Masculinity, all this book here help to understanding and interacting with boys of all ages and teach them how to deal with everyday life. Pollack is an expert in the areas of boy's development, education and men's roles. He help young men how to deal with everyday life, such as in workplace, school, male and female relationships, and how to act tough not be a sissy. In the story Pollack discuss about how boy being tough in school and how they hide their emotion really well from people around them. Adam is the boy who he sets the example for The Boy Code and I believe that it is reasonably true how he states these boys’ problems, and their hidden secretes. Many boys this day do not understand how to express themselves and share their problems. In another word is that they are stressed and the pressures build up then it will eventually explode like a time bomb. Hiding behind the mask is basically like acting a scene. When Adam is with his mother he acts different than when he’s with his friends or alone. Often when boys get hurt, or fail class they will not show them out, they try to hide the emotion inside them. Over the story, it seems like boy’s are fear of what other people think of them and scare of reject, they carry on their emotion inside, they afraid people around them see their weakness. These prove why most boys don’t cry even though they are hurts. If the boy cry or act their emotional out then that boy is a sissy. Pollack states, " Men take a whole range of feelings and emotions and put those behind a mask.”(P. 73) These show that boys have to stand on their own two feet try to be tough and they are a shame to show any emotion. According to Pollack “boys are shame phobic and "some will even kill to avoid shame”. It seems like the society only allows men to express their emotion only through anger. With many strict conflicting expectations, a male often doesn't know how to act. They scare or being reject, shame so they hide themselves behind the mask live their life as being a tough men. Boys seem like they have lower image than girl do, they have become stereotypes have been emphasized to them from an early age and teach them how to act like a men. Being boys is tough and confused, they usually have two faces, one is fake and the real one is hide behind the mask. Men have to being insensitive and being tough in their whole life, but in realistically, men are in a no win situation. If they don't show their emotions, they are berated for being separate from the essence of what really being a human, it seem like they heartless. On the other hand, if a male decides to expose his emotions, he is labeled as a "sissy" and not viewed as equal to other males who demonstrate more boldness and bravery. All the confusion expectation had cause boys to do things that they do not really want to, like lie to their parents, teachers, they know it was wrong, but feel that they need to live up to their macho image, or else they will not be a man. These explain how boys act different when they with friend and when they are alone or also when they get hurts. Pollack point out “Boy learn to wear the mask so skillful in fact, they don’t even know they’re doing it.”(Pollack p. 71) Like Pollack said boys have learn to hide themselves from their true identity when they are a little boys. They have to deal with society and try to live up with everyday life, by bottle their real emotion inside. Sometime it depends on the environment he is brought up in influences the image a boy chooses to portray for himself. Being a young man, they must deal with all the images put out by society, his peers and his own family, by deciding for himself what values are important to him. Boys have to hide their true selves and feelings to fit in, but in society expect men to be both tough and gentle, and be able to express their feeling, try to not hide behind the mask. Regardless, masculinity is an unrealistic expectation of men. Who cares what others think as long as they be their true self. It is apparent through my though that this essay is a good source to research or write an essay and can be teach. This essay helps parents learn more about their children feeling and grow into manhood to become real men. Bibliography: Works Cited Cohen, Theodore. “Men And Masculinity.” Ohio Wesleyan University. Canada, 2001 . Pollack, William “Dr. William Pollack.” Information on William Pollack. 2001 .

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