A Guide on Positive Role Models for Men
Male Role Models: A Guide on Positive Role Models for Men
Are you looking for a role model? Do you know a young man who needs a positive male role model? Are you looking for guidance and information about positive male role models? Do you need a role model in your child’s life? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, you are in the right place.
One of the most common problems men face is the lack of a positive role model. There are many benefits associated with having positive male role models in any man’s life. Most of the mental health issues and stresses men face are due to the pressure of constantly being their best even when they do not know how to be. Having a positive role model is the best way to learn how to become a better man.
by Sean Galla
An experienced facilitator, community builder and Peer Support Specialist, Sean has been running men's groups for 10+ years.
Who Is a Male Role Model?
A role model can be defined as a person who others look up to as a source of encouragement and one worth being imitated. When it comes to male role models, they are meant to show other men how to live life with integrity, hope, optimism, compassion, and determination. Positive male role models can significantly affect the lives of the men looking up to them. They play an essential role in the positive development of anyone looking up to them.
Role models can come into your life in different ways. They can be high school educators, celebrity role models, mothers, leaders, fathers, peers, clergy, and even ordinary people in your community. Being a role model is not just constrained to people with fancy lifestyles and personal wealth. Anyone with something positive to offer to other men, be it advice or life skills, can be categorized as a role model.
Why Men Need Role Models
While male or female figures can influence young women in their life, men require father figures when growing up.
When growing up, boys require a father figure in their life as this has been found to contribute positively to the child’s academic and social development. Children who bond with their fathers or father figures from an early age are better problem solvers, have sharper cognitive skills, and are better performers in school. This puts them at an advantage over children with no real men figures in their lives, especially children raised by single mothers.
Boys who become men without positive male role models in their lives are often more likely to end in a life of crime, in jail, or as addicts and participating in risk-taking behaviour. In America, only 42% of men graduate from college and university, compared to 58% of females. In addition, college-educated women under the age of 35 outnumber men by a 3 to 2 ratio. This is deeply worrying in an age where gender equality is rife.
According to experts, certain factors fuel the growth of unmotivated young boys and underachieving young people in modern society. These include videogames, environmental toxins, prescription drugs, teaching methods, and devaluation of masculinity.
All these factors can be linked to the lack of positive male role models for boys and young men. Strong male role models are essential for men as they help to share their emotional maturity, which, unlike puberty, does not happen automatically.
Every culture has present rules of what it is to be a man. Young boys need to be taught these values to evolve into the men they need to be. This knowledge can only be instilled by a fellow man who understands the struggle young kids face regarding identity, sexuality, and masculinity.
Positive and Negative Impacts of Male Role Models
While most research on male role models s focused on positive role models, it is essential to understand that role models can also be negative. As a man, it is important to understand what attributes make a positive role model.
Sometimes, positive role models can make poor choices. Men need to understand that role models’ negative behaviour is not to be copied or admired. As boys transition to adolescents and young men, they should differentiate between negative and positive attributed to copy from their role models.
Parents, especially single mothers, need to teach kids the difference between positive masculinity and negative masculinity based on the behaviour of their male role models. When families take the time to instil values and integrity in their children’s lives, it can positively impact the child’s development and make it easier for them to tell the difference between good men and negative role models.
What to Look for in Positive Role Models
Passion and ability to inspire
A positive male role model shows passion for everything they do and can transfer this passion to others around them.
Set values
Good role models work to ensure they leave the value in the world. When growing up, young men look up to other men who support similar beliefs and habits. This can be their father figures, an older brother, or simply a celebrity. By admiring role models with clear sets of values, young men understand the importance of their values as part of their development and roles as adults.
Commitment to the community
Positive role models are more other-focused as opposed to being self-focused. These role models are always active in community-based activities and projects as they give their talents and time freely to the people. Young men should admire people who serve others and should emulate this behavior.
They overcome obstacles
As the famous quote goes, success is not measured by the positions one reaches in life but rather the obstacles they overcome. Young men are always attracted to fellow men who overcome significant challenges to become better men without compromising their beliefs and values. A good role model should be able to overcome obstacles with ease without compromising their values.
Acceptance of others and selflessness
Real men role models are selfless and accept other people for who they are. Role models do not see social or economic barriers are reasons not to interact with others. They are always willing to listen and offer help regardless of the recipient’s circumstances and background. In their acceptance of everyone, they teach young men how to serve and live their life in service.
Conclusion
Part of self-improvement is surrounding yourself with people who positively influence your life and choices. Having positive role models is the best way to nurture young boys into men and to make a difference in the world.
In these COVID times, joining a men's group is a positive way of being with other like-minded men who are trying to make a difference.
Content source: https://mensgroup.com/male-role-models/
