Men’s Shame and Anger: Examining the Roles of Alexithymia and Psychological Distress

Abstract

The psychological mechanisms connecting shame and anger among men remain underexplored. This study aimed to understand the potential roles of psychological distress and alexithymia in this pathway, both in the form of difficulty identifying and describing one’s feelings. Self-report measures were completed by 1,000 men (age mean = 49.6 years; range = 19–86 years). Conditional process analysis investigated a moderated mediation effect to determine whether men’s distress mediated the relationship between shame and anger, and whether this effect differed according to severity and type of alexithymia. Findings indicated moderated mediation, with psychological distress a significant mediator in the association between shame and anger. Furthermore, difficulties describing feelings (but not identifying feelings) moderated the relationship between shame and psychological distress. Men’s shame can be expressed via anger when experiencing psychological distress, and the inability to express one’s feelings exacerbates this pathway. Clinical and public health avenues to reduce the impact of alexithymia are discussed.

Supplemental data for this article is available online at https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2021.1977598 .

Keywords:

• Shame
• distress
• alexithymia
• anger
• masculinity

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank all participants for their contribution to this research.

Consent for Publication

All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.

Data Availability

Due to confidentiality we are unable to share the data analyzed for this manuscript, as bound by our ethics approval.

Disclosure Statement

All authors declare they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Zac E. Seidler

Zac E. Seidler received his PhD from the University of Sydney, Australia. He currently works as a research fellow with Orygen, at The University of Melbourne, and as the Director of Mental Health Training at Movember. His areas of professional interest include depression and anxiety in men, LGBTIQIA+ issues, addiction, and relationship issues.

Simon M. Rice

Simon M. Rice received his PhD from the Australian Catholic University. He works as a clinical psychologist and senior research fellow with Orygen, at The University of Melbourne. He has as a joint clinical and research interest in men’s mental health (including the assessment of depression, anger, and risk-taking behaviours).

David Kealy

David Kealy received his PhD from the University of British Columbia. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of British Columbia and a Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar. His research interests include psychotherapy and mental ill-health among men and young adults.

Michael J. Wilson

Michael J. Wilson is a project manager with Orygen at The University of Melbourne. His research interests include psychotherapeutic engagement and social determinants of mental ill-health among men, and mental health inequities among LGBTQIA+ populations.

John L. Oliffe

John L. Oliffe received his PhD from Deakin University. He is currently a professor and associate director research at the School of Nursing, University of British Columbia. Founder and lead investigator of UBC Men’s Health Research program, his work focuses on masculinities, men’s health behaviours and illness management.

John S. Ogrodniczuk

John S. Ogrodniczuk received his PhD from the University of Alberta. He is currently the director of the Psychotherapy Program in the Department of Psychiatry at The University of British Columbia. His research has involved a variety of psychotherapies and patient populations, commonly with a focus on men’s mental health.