Macho and Shame

Abstract

Bilmes M. Machismo and Shame. Int Forum Psychoanal 1992;1:163-168. Stockholm. ISSN 0803-706X

“Machismo” is usually used in a pejorative way to describe an attitude of male domination and display of power. While this portrayal is clearly recognizable, it does not tell the full story. The Spanish word “macho” simply means male or masculine, and can be used positively to designate one gender's successful struggle for pride, honor and identity. Machismo is a caricature of these qualities, a brutishness stemming from defensive mechanisms. The thesis of this paper is that the experience of maleness is especially linked to the psychic emotion of shame. Specifically, exaggerated machismo, as the term is usually understood, is the result of frustrated, shameful dependency experiences.