Everything’s Toxic These Days. Guest Blog by Brett Jeffers Toxic masculinity is somewhat of a political football. As with many sociological concepts, it is hard to pin it down and categorise it rigidly and coherently, but essentially the idea of toxic masculinity is a group of behaviours that are culturally embedded and are harmful to both men and women. According to the American Psychology Association , men demonstrate disproportionate rates of receiving harsh discipline, academic challenges, mental health issues, physical health problems, public health concerns (e.g., violence, substance abuse, incarceration, and early mortality), and a wide variety of other quality-of-life issues (e.g., relational problems, family well-being). Additionally, many men do not seek help when they need it, and many report distinctive barriers to receiving gender-sensitive psychological treatment (Mahalik, Good, Tager, Levant, & Mackowiak, 2012). So toxic masculinity, or culturally prev...