Relational
Why do so many men go numb instead of feeling?
Most boys learn early: showing sadness or fear gets you labeled weak. So they learn to convert vulnerable feelings into acceptable ones. Hurt becomes anger. Loneliness becomes withdrawal. The feelings don't disappear. They just go underground.
Men don't tend to have depression. They tend to have the defenses against it.— Terry Real
The full breakdown — the context, the shift, and a question to sit with — opens in the Insights app.
The thinker
Relational Therapist & Author
Terry Real is a family therapist and author of 'I Don't Want to Talk About It,' known for his work on men's emotional lives and relational therapy.
Based on Terry Real on Male Depression and Relationships, summarised and reframed by Insights.
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