Masculinity and Seeking Psychological Help: A Review Based on Social Identity Theory/Erkeklik ve Psikolojik Yardim Arama: Sosyal Kimlik Kurami Temelli Bir Derleme Calismasi

To improve their quality of life and mental health, people need psychological help. Past research revealed that although participants reported low levels of life satisfaction, they were hesitant to seek psychological help. In the literature, this situation has been defined as mental health treatment gap. In this context, research focuses on reducing the treatment gap by identifying factors that facilitate and hinder seeking psychological help. Many studies consistently report that men are more reluctant to seek psychological help than women. Therefore, there is a need for a more detailed examination of the factors that affect men's reluctance to seek psychological help. Based on this fact, the study's primary purpose is to provide enlightening information about why men avoid seeking psychological help and the factors that encourage them to seek help. In this study, masculinity's role in seeking help is emphasized in the context of Social Identity Theory. However, past research findings on situations and contexts in which men are willing to seek psychological help are presented. Practitioners and researchers in the mental health field, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and psychological counselors, can learn a lot from the review's opinions on the role of traditional masculine norms in seeking psychological help. Keywords: Masculinity, psychological help-seeking, social identity theory Bireylerin ihtiyac duyduklarinda psikolojik yardim almalari hem akil sagliklari hem de yasam kaliteleri acisindan onem arz etmektedir. Psikolojik yardim alma davranisina iliskin yapilan arastirmalarda katilimcilarin yasam memnuniyet duzeylerini dusuk olarak belirtmelerine ragmen yardim arama konusunda cekimser tavirlar sergiledikleri ortaya konulmustur. Alanyazinda bu durum, ruh sagligi tedavi boslugu (mental health treatment gap) olarak tanimlanmistir. Bu baglamda arastirmalar, psikolojik yardim aramayi kolaylastiran ve engelleyen faktorleri belirleyerek tedavi boslugunu azaltmaya odaklanmistir. Hem ulusal hem de yurt disi alanyazinda kadinlara kiyasla erkeklerin psikolojik yardim alma konusunda daha isteksiz davrandiklarini bildiren tutarli arastirma bulgulari bulunmaktadir. Bu nedenle, erkeklerin psikolojik yardim arama konusundaki isteksizlikleri uzerinde etkili olan faktorlerin daha detayli incelenmesine ihtiyac duyulmaktadir. Bu cerceveden hareketle calismanin temel amaci, erkeklerin psikolojik yardim almaktan kacinmalarina neden olan faktorler ve ya