The construction of masculine self among youth in Turkey

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the construction of masculine self among Turkish youth; to examine its developmental trajectory in familial, social and cultural contexts; and to reveal its links with the young men's current and previous interpersonal and intrapersonal experiences. The data was gathered through 13 semistructured interviews covering the themes of self-conception, social relations, family relations and the male role in Turkish culture and was analyzed by the grounded theory approach of qualitative analysis. The results revealed that geographical and local differences exerted a significant impact on the young men's developing masculine selves. Two patterns of masculine development were noted in urban and rural contexts, which differed in a wide range of macro- to micro-level variables. The resultant masculine self organizations diverged in their functioning in social and familial surroundings, and embraced different gender ideologies. Transcending geography and locality, the overriding organization framing all of the young men's functioning was found to be a familial masculine self which developed within an atmosphere of interconnectedness and granted men a clear sense of gendered identity.