Abstract
Despite the fact that millions of men engage in self-help reading, there has been little scholarly research about the reception of self-help texts by male readers. We explore how men read self-help books through presenting the results of forty-five qualitative interviews with readers of books in the domains of career and financial success, health and well-being, and interpersonal relationships. Our interviewees expressed awareness of the stigmatized role of the male self-help reader and performed two patterns of masculinity, influenced by hegemonic ideals, within this context: the resourceful man getting ahead in life; and the wounded man getting back on his feet. A small proportion of our interviewees challenged conventional notions of masculinity, demonstrating the potential for men to read self-help books in diverse ways. Our findings shed important insight into how men read self-help books and into the performance of masculinity in the context of such reading.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
