In the US, violence is a major problem. We hear news stories about mass shootings, war, and sexual and domestic violence daily. Last week in episode 333, therapist and author Terry Real talked about how patriarchal conditioning limits those who are socialized as male in their emotional expression.  In today's episode, host Laura Reagan, LCSW-C revisits a prior interview with the co-authors of "The Tough Standard: The hard truths about masculinity and violence," Dr. Ronald Levant and Shana Pryor. In this conversation you'll learn about the construct of masculinity and how it impinges upon men and others, contributing to violent behavior.  Ronald F. Levant, EdD, ABPP, is Professor Emeritus of Psychology at The University of Akron; Past President of the American Psychological Association (APA) and APA Division 51; and two-term Editor of APA Division 51’s quarterly journal, Psychology of Men & Masculinities. He has developed and evaluated a number of measures designed to assess a variety of gender constructs. Dr. Levant’s signature contribution has been in establishing the empirical foundation for the “Normative Male Alexithymia” hypothesis. In addition, he developed Alexithymia Reduction Treatment (ART), a brief psychoeducational intervention designed to remediate normative male alexithymia in order to prepare men to engage more fully in psychotherapy. This is his 19th book. Shana Pryor, MA, is a doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at the University of Akron. She has spent the majority of her career focusing on men, masculinity and sexual trauma. Resources Learn more about their work and find a book excerpt at: www.thetoughstandard.com.  Find The Tough Standard here.   Listen to last week's episode or read a transcript here.  Thank you to TherapyNotes for sponsoring this week's episode! TherapyNotes makes billing, scheduling, notetaking, and telehealth incredibly easy. And now, for all you prescribers out there, TherapyNotes is proudly introducing E-prescribe! Find out what more than 100,000 mental health professionals already know, and try TherapyNotes for 2 months, absolutely free. Try it today with no strings attached, and see why everyone is switching to TherapyNotes, now featuring E-prescribe. Use promo code "chat" at www.therapynotes.com to receive 2 FREE months of TherapyNotes! This episode is also sponsored by Trauma Therapist Network. Learn about trauma, connect with resources and find a trauma therapist near you at www.traumatherapistnetwork.com. We believe that trauma is real, healing is possible and help is available. Therapists, registration opens in July for Trauma Therapist Network membership. Join a compassionate and skilled group of trauma therapists for weekly calls focused on Self Care, Case Consultation, Q&A and Training.  Get on the waiting list now to be the first to know when registration opens! Sign up here: https://traumatherapistnetwork.com/wait-list/  Podcast produced by Pete Bailey - https://petebailey.net/audio