Anxiety experiences of male psychotherapists: A hermeneutic phenomenological study

Aims: There is currently a lack of clarity surrounding how men experience anxiety. This is caused by epistemological limitations with the perspectives employed to explore male anxiety, but equally by a lack of empirical research and uncertainty of how to define masculinity. In order to explain male anxiety more effectively this study needed to overcome these limitations by both incorporating the notion that there are multiple masculinities, through which men experience specific anxieties, and allowing men to talk directly about their experiences. This study focused on one kind of masculine identity: that of male psychotherapists. Research design: A hermeneutic phenomenological method was employed. Eight male psychotherapists of various modalities were interviewed who work in a number of therapeutic contexts. Results: Anxiety patterns are complex and comprise of feelings that are very difficult to deal with. Yet, anxiety is also an impetus for learning and improvement. Conclusions: The few existing ideas of male anxiety fail to capture the complexity of how men experience anxiety. Concepts of male anxiety need to be defined with more accuracy.