When I was a bastard

Constructions of Maturity in Men's Accounts of Masculinity

Bibliographic Data

ID3668340
AuthorsG Terry (0000-0002-6377-6194, University of Auckland, corresponding author), Braun (0000-0002-3435-091X, University of Auckland), Virginia Braun
Year2009
Volume18
Issue2
Pages165-178
Publication date2009-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Gender Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0958-9236 • E-ISSN: 1465-3869
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/09589230902812463
OpenAlexW2044384202
LanguageEN
Citations received16
References cited17

Social constructionist work has demonstrated how the performance of heterosexuality for (heterosexual) men is unarguably tied to the construction of their masculine identities. In this article, we draw on Wetherell and Edley's theorisation of ‘imaginary positions’ as it pertains to masculine identity formation, to make sense of 15 New Zealand men's accounts of sex in long-term heterosexual relationships. Such relationships were constructed as a ‘safe space’ in which to resist a negative (former) imaginary position of the ‘immature self’ and in which to construct a positive (current) position of the ‘loving, enlightened, egalitarian, mature self’. Although this suggests a positive reconstruction of male sexuality in New Zealand (within the context of long-term heterosexual relationships) these positions remain constructed in a manner which relies on traditional masculine notions of independence and autonomy. This emphasises the fluidity of masculinity, and the way in which certain styles become prevalent, while maintaining traditional elements which bolster male power

Aesthetics · Autonomy · Doing gender · Heterosexuality · Human sexuality · Masculinity · Political science · Psychoanalysis · Social constructionism · Sociology · The Imaginary · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Historical Gender and Feminism Studies · Historical Studies on Reproduction, Gender, Health, and Societal Changes · Psychology · Social Psychology