Normalization Depathologizing Male Behavior To Create A New

“Normalization: Depathologizing Male Behavior To Create A New Treatment Paradigm”. Alan R Ellis, LCSW; Gerard C Treacy, LCSW; Edward M Stephens, MD. (Key words: male, male profiling, male brain anatomy, male endocrinology, reframing, strengthsbased therapeutic approach, biology, evidence-based evaluation. ) Expanding on our 2013 APHA presentation “Working With Men: Reframing Therapeutic Encounter”, the authors believe there is an inherent distortion in negative characterizations of male responses as “impulsive, ” “aggressive, ”etc. , or what we have termed “male profiling. ” We propose that a model based on male brain anatomy and male endocrinology is a more thoughtful and effective approach for understanding both gender differences and male behavior (“maleness”). This model, in its recognition of male gender characteristics as non-pathological, has significant implications for psychotherapy and the evaluation of male behavior. It views anatomical differences in the male brain as underpinning male proclivities toward action, problem- solving, and solution seeking. We argue that both male and female approaches to life situations need to be viewed as different, yet simultaneously valuable. This evaluative shift from ‘male profiling’ to a biologic sense of maleness is a natural progression to a more strengthsbased, rather than deficit-based approach to working with men. This model reclaims a biologic soundness that is often submerged under prevailing cultural norms and attitudes toward men. This shift toward biology, in turn, promotes a more evidence-based approach to men's health and the likelihood of improved health policies and outcomes.