Men in Groups: Attachment and Masculinity

Abstract

This quantitative study examines how attachment and masculinity influence men in their participation in social groups and support or therapy groups as measured by the ECR-RS (Fraley, Brumbaugh, Heffernan, & Vicary, 2011) and the MRNI-SF (Levant, Hall, & Rankin, 2013). An online survey was given to 308 U.S. male adults asking questions about their attachment to their primary partner, their family of origin, social groups they participate in, support or therapy groups they participate in, and their endorsement of traditional masculine gender norms. The results from this study suggest the following: that men will have the same level of attachment to their family of origin as they do to both romantic dyadic relationships and to social groups they participate in, men are more securely attached the more they participate in groups, more traditionally masculine men are more drawn to competitive type social groups, more traditionally masculine men tend to have a more avoidant attachment to groups, and masculinity endorsement doesn’t affect men’s level of participation in groups. Keywords: men, attachment, masculinity, groups, gender, norms