A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health Social Contexts, Theories, and Systems

Are there differences between men and women in mental health and why? These are the questions taken up by Rosenfield, Kato, and Smith. They begin by providing an overview of classical psychoanalytical theory (Freud's conceptualization) and more recent approaches (by Nancy Chodorow, for example) that represent the major positions on gender differences: women have more mental health problems than men, men have more than women, or both have equal amounts. Evidence reveals that there are no differences in their overall rates of psychopathology, but men and women do differ in the type of psychopathology experienced. Women suffer from higher rates of depression and anxiety (referred to as internalizing disorders), and men have higher rates of substance abuse and antisocial disorders (referred to as externalizing disorders). Rosenfield, Kato, and Smith consider various explanations for these differences. They concentrate on dominant gender conceptions – those held by groups in positions of power, which in this society are primarily white, middle-class conceptions. Divisions between men and women in power, responsibilities (i.e., different role positions), and personal characteristics are relevant for mental health. For example, women earn less money, have jobs with less power and autonomy, and experience an overload of job and family demands more often than men (Simon, 2014). They have closer social ties, which bring more support but also more negative interactions. Women have personal characteristics of low self-esteem and mastery relative to men. They are more nurturant and emotionally reliant compared to men's greater independence and assertiveness. Finally, males and females differ in self-salience, that is beliefs about the importance of the self versus others in social relations: women put others' interests first more often, which promotes internalizing problems, while men tend to privilege the self more strongly, facilitating externalizing problems. The authors suggest that socializing practices encouraging high self-regard along with high regard for others benefit mental health. This is an interesting idea, and students may want to discuss their own socialization into “appropriate” feminine and masculine behaviors.