The image of an ideal man among contemporary teenagers: value-normative aspect

Context and relevance. In the context of a pronounced crisis associated with significant transformations of gender roles in modern society, the urgency of the problem of masculinity is growing Attempts to rethink traditional attitudes towards masculinity give rise to contradictory ideas about it. That creates social and psychological difficulties for teenagers of both sexes and affects the development of their gender identities. Objective. To analyse the image of an ideal man as contemporary teenagers perceive it. Hypothesis. The image of an ideal man among contemporary teenagers is characterized by a departure from traditional ideas about masculinity and a gravitation towards alternative variants of male identity, primarily associated with the recognition of gender equality. Young men’s and young women’s ideas about masculinity differ. Methods and materials. The study involved 85 senior teenagers aged 15—16 (9th—10th grade students), including 51 girls and 34 boys. To test the hypothesis, the questionnaire ‘Study of Male Identity Development (SMID) “Me and Other Men”’ was used. Results. The research has shown that the image of an ideal man among modern teenagers correlates with both traditional and alternative ideas about masculinity. At the same time, young men mainly hold traditional views on masculinity, while young women are more inclined to attribute alternative qualities and characteristics to the ideal man. Conclusions. The results demonstrate a set of inherent contradictions in the image of an ideal man which brings significant pressure in the process of gender identity development, especially among young men.