What is problematic about the concept of 'Toxic Masculinity'?

Toxic masculinity refers to the notion that some people’s idea of “manliness” perpetuates domination, homophobia, and aggression. Toxic masculinity involves cultural pressures for men to behave in a certain way. And it’s likely this affects all boys and men in some fashion. This idea that men need to act tough and avoid showing all emotions can be harmful to their mental health and can have serious consequences for society, which is how it became known as “toxic masculinity.”

Toxic masculinity manifests itself in a litany of ways. Here are just seven issues this worldview and set of behaviors can give rise to:

1. Competitiveness over cooperation: To some, it’s a masculine norm to jockey for greater positions of power rather than seek opportunities to cooperate. While competition can be healthy and even useful in many scenarios, toxic masculinity leads men to prioritize coming out on top above ever considering the feelings or desires of anyone else. Men can become more boorish or hard to work with as a result.
2. Greater tendencies toward violence: Toxic masculinity is one reason for the amount of male violence throughout society. Since some men refuse to handle their emotions in a healthy way, conflicts between partners can unravel into domestic violence. Similarly, some men might even turn to sexual assault.
3. Higher levels of homophobia and transphobia: Heterosexual, cisgender men who don’t make an effort to combat toxic masculinity might hold biases against people of different sexual orientations and gender identities. Toxic masculinity insists on there being only one way to be a man and excludes or even denigrates any other approaches.
4. Inability to admit vulnerability: When someone tells a young boy to “man up,” the implication is generally for them to hide their emotions and return to the task at hand. From a young age, this instills the belief you can’t be a “real man” if you admit any sense of vulnerability. As a result, many grown men refuse to seek mental health care or ask for any sort of emotional support, leading them to manage their internal state in a counterproductive and damaging way.
5. Increased sexism toward women: Toxic masculinity is practically synonymous with misogyny. Men who take this attitude to heart believe masculinity is innately superior to femininity, leading them to rely on untrue and harmful gender stereotypes in their interactions with women. In extreme cases, this can lead to outright sexual harassment. On a more muted level, it might emanate through “mansplaining,” condescension, or advocating for continued disparities between men and women throughout society.
6. Inordinate senses of entitlement: Toxic males experience a sense of entitlement in their work, relationships, and other areas of life. This can eventually lead to mental health problems like narcissism and delusions of grandeur. Young men might feel they can engage in excessive risk-taking without consequences because of this attitude. The concept of toxic masculinity can even lead to wanton violence, up to the point of some men even committing violent crimes and expecting no retaliation.
7. More repressed emotions: A lack of emotional expression and management lies at the heart of toxic masculinity. Certain men trade any ability to effectively manage their mental health issues in the pursuit of constantly exhibiting stereotypically masculine traits. Underneath the tough, sometimes cruel exterior often lies someone in a great deal of emotional pain with no resources or understanding of how to handle these feelings. For that matter, bottling up all these emotions can affect a man’s physical health as well.

Psychotherapy, which is essentially treatment using psychological methods such as behavioral therapy, cognitive therapy and relaxation, is also very necessary. So don't be afraid to go to a psychiatrist for a consultation. One important thing to remember is that mental disorders, be it schizophrenia, depression or anxiety that are not handled properly will cause brain damage. This situation can cause people who suffer from it to experience a severe decline in thinking function.