Masculinity is having yet another moment—from TikTok alphas and tech bros up through the rise of the manosphere. It's because when society feels unstable, many people try to get back to basics.

The problem is, those “basics” are a bunch of rigid, outdated masculinity norms—norms that helped create the very problems we're facing right now. In this episode, we dig into the research with psychologists Ronald Levant and Shana Pryor to understand how culture shapes masculinity, why it’s linked to violence and poor health, and what it might take to build something better. Their book is called The Tough Standard: The Hard Truths About Masculinity and Violence.

Complete transcript available at relationscapes.org. 

RONALD LEVANT is professor emeritus of psychology at the University of Akron. He is past president of the American Psychological Association and is one of the pioneer scholars on masculinity, having conducted masculinity studies for decades.

SHAYNA PRYOR is a licensed psychologist currently working with active duty military. She studies masculinity, gender, and men’s experiences of sexual trauma and interpersonal violence.

Together they are authors of The Tough Standard: The Hard Truths About Masculinity and Violence.