Advancing the health and wellbeing of boys and men: Lessons from the social cure and curse framework

Abstract

Although (cisgender, heterosexual) men are generally seen as the advantaged group compared to other genders, research has documented health and well-being disadvantages specific to men. We present an integrative model of social identity mechanisms for (cisgender) men's health and well-being. We integrate research on men and masculinities with research on group memberships as “cures” and “curses,” outlining social psychological mechanisms that may account for beneficial and adverse health and well-being outcomes in men through cure and curse pathways. We focus on the roles of gender norms, social support, stigma, and social identity threats resulting from men's precarious personal manhood status and their declining societal status. We present a framework of theory-based tools for turning curses into cures by using existing gender norms, cha(lle)nging gender norms, increasing social support, and reducing social identity threats, providing concrete recommendations for policy and practice.