{"id":51396,"date":"2018-03-28T08:51:05","date_gmt":"2018-03-28T12:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/?p=51396"},"modified":"2022-09-26T13:54:00","modified_gmt":"2022-09-26T17:54:00","slug":"masculine-material","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/2018\/03\/28\/masculine-material\/","title":{"rendered":"Masculine material"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Steven Kniffley Jr., assistant professor in the School of Professional Psychology, right, collaborated with students Bryan Davis, left, and Ernest Brown Jr. \u201cOut of K.O.S. (Knowledge of Self): Black Masculinity, Psychopathology and Treatment (Black Studies and Critical Thinking).\u201d (Photos by Erin Pence)<\/p><\/div>\n

The development of masculinity among black males and its relationship to racial identity and race-related traumas and stress is the focus of a new book written by Wright State University\u2019s Steven Kniffley Jr. and two of his graduate students.<\/p>\n

Kniffley, an assistant professor in the School of Professional Psychology, and SOPP students Ernest Brown Jr.<\/a> and Bryan Davis have produced \u201cOut of K.O.S. (Knowledge of Self): Black Masculinity, Psychopathology and Treatment (Black Studies and Critical Thinking)<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kniffley says black males are exposed to a great number of mental health issues such as suicide, anxiety and depression, but are one of the most undertreated populations.<\/p>\n

He says many black males struggle with a conflicted identity, constantly engaged in a mental tug-of-war between what society says they should be and what their culture says they have the capability to be. In addition, they face racism and discrimination.<\/p>\n

The book examines how gender and racial identity,\u00a0as well as sense of self, creates black masculinity, how these factors affect mental health issues and how to use them to create an effective psychotherapy.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things we\u2019re attempting to do is to show black males how to empower themselves and other black males by developing a positive, culturally consistent narrative of their experience,\u201d said Kniffley. \u201cThe book is about what we can do to be better aware of how mental health issues develop for black males as well as some of the nuances that need to be considered when treating those issues.\u201d<\/p>\n

To write the book, the researchers reviewed studies and other literature, conducted qualitative research and tapped into their own knowledge and experience.<\/p>\n

Davis\u2019 research looked at how males are taught to be men by family, peers, society and the media. He examined the social structures of gender development and the strain that comes with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocialization teaches a very rigid and inflexible way of being masculine,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd then layering it on top, what does this look like in different cultures, specifically within black males?\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Steven Kniffley says SOPP is a leader in training students in diversity and how to work in diverse areas.<\/p><\/div>\n

Brown\u2019s research looked into how black males construct the way they see themselves. Masculinity-forming messages from family and friends can be positive and empowering, but society may be giving them different messages. That can set them up for mental health issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want this book in the hands of everyone,\u201d said Brown. \u201cIt\u2019s not just for therapists or academics.\u201d<\/p>\n

Davis said black males have to decide whether to adhere to their black culture, which can bring racism and oppression, or to try to be part of white culture, which can alienate their fellow blacks.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt becomes very tricky from a therapist\u2019s standpoint,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you\u2019re not educated in diversity variables, you\u2019re missing a whole subsection in the development of masculinity in some of the performance and behaviors. There are layers of the process that we need to be aware of to understand black men.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final chapter of the book outlines a model of therapy that is cooperative and collaborative.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to do those things that tell the black male you are there to work with him, not to impose some sort of theoretical orientation on him,\u201d said Kniffley. \u201cWe focus on developing narratives so black males begin to think of themselves differently and are able to address issues of discrimination appropriately and develop the skills necessary to resolve the conflict themselves after the therapeutic process has ended.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kniffley grew up in Louisville. He earned his bachelor\u2019s degree in psychology at the University of Louisville, his master\u2019s degree and a\u00a0doctorate in clinical psychology from Spalding University in Louisville and did post-doctorate work at Harvard Medical School.<\/p>\n

He joined the faculty at Wright State in 2014 and while at the university earned a second master\u2019s degree, in public administration.<\/p>\n

Kniffley said the School of Professional Psychology<\/a> has always been a leader in training students in diversity and how to work in diverse areas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe students have to be equipped to deal with the cultural issues that might come up, and SOPP does a fantastic job of preparing them,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Book by professional psychology professor and two students explores the development of masculinity among black males and its relationship to racial identity and race-related traumas. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":51402,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[722,2023,2060,725,715,2407,18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-51396","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academics","category-faculty","category-graduate","category-home-news-sidebar","category-news","category-professional-psychology","category-research"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51396","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51396"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51396\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":51430,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51396\/revisions\/51430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51402"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51396"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51396"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webapp2.wright.edu\/web1\/newsroom\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51396"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}