The Lost Boys: Study Reveals Young Men Struggle Emotionally and Socially
MONTREAL, Canada (PRWEB) August 25, 2018 -- In J. M. Barrie’s play, Peter Pan, the “Lost Boys” are a group of orphaned/abandoned children who live in Neverland and who want to stay kids forever. Today’s real life lost boys are Generation Z, boys aged 22 and younger, but their delayed growth is emotional rather than physical. Research from PsychTests reveals that Gen Z boys trail Gen Z girls in several key aspects of their emotional development.
Assessing data from a Generation Z sample of 5,396 (2,089 boys and 3,307 girls) who took PsychTests’ Emotional Intelligence Test, research uncovered differences between the two genders on important emotional competencies, including the following:
ABILITY TO IDENTIFY EMOTIONS IN SELF
- Score for Gen Z boys: 57
- Score for Gen Z girls: 67
CONFLICT-RESOLUTION SKILLS
- Score for Gen Z boys: 60
- Score for Gen Z girls: 70
SOCIAL INSIGHT
- Score for Gen Z boys: 70
- Score for Gen Z girls: 78
SOCIAL SKILLS
- Score for Gen Z boys: 58
- Score for Gen Z girls: 65
EMPATHY
- Score for Gen Z boys: 70
- Score for Gen Z girls: 77
ABILITY TO READ BODY LANGUAGE
- Score for Gen Z boys: 74
- Score for Gen Z girls: 81
WILLINGNESS TO BE FLEXIBLE, TO COMPROMISE
- Score for Gen Z boys: 74
- Score for Gen Z girls: 81
ABILITY TO LET GO OF MINOR ISSUES
- Score for Gen Z boys: 74
- Score for Gen Z girls: 80
ABILITY TO PICK ONE'S BATTLES WISELY
- Score for Gen Z boys: 67
- Score for Gen Z girls: 62
“While the differences between Gen Z boys and girls are not huge, they are statistically significant and important in practical terms as well,” explains Dr. Jerabek, president of PsychTests. “Even though emotional intelligence is likely to improve with age and social experience - given that men in older age groups scored better than men in younger age groups - our study clearly indicates boys are already starting at a disadvantage. This has a great deal to do with how we raise and socialize sons vs. daughters. Many boys are taught quite young that crying, for example, or any type of ‘feminine’ emotion is not appropriate, but we generally condone ‘masculine’ feelings like anger. Girls, on the other hand, are given more emotional leeway, with perhaps the exception of anger."
"This means that from a very young age we place limitations on emotional expression in our children, labeling certain emotions as either ‘good’ or ‘bad’," Jerabek says. "If we don’t teach our children, especially our boys, how to express and manage their feelings - this includes all feelings – they will end up struggling with major emotional and social issues, like shyness, anxiety, depression, hostility, aggression, withdrawal, and an inability to cope with stress. These competencies impact our ability to maintain healthy relationships, succeed in school and career, deal with and overcome setbacks, manage stress … every area of our life benefits from our understanding of feelings and ability to manage our emotions, instead of letting our emotions manage us.”
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About PsychTests AIM Inc.
PsychTests AIM Inc. originally appeared on the internet scene in 1996. Since its inception, it has become a pre-eminent provider of psychological assessment products and services to human resource personnel, therapists, academics, researchers and a host of other professionals around the world. PsychTests AIM Inc. staff is comprised of a dedicated team of psychologists, test developers, researchers, statisticians, writers, and artificial intelligence experts (see ARCHProfile.com). The company’s research division, Plumeus Inc., is supported in part by Research and Development Tax Credit awarded by Industry Canada.
Ilona Jerabek, PsychTests AIM Inc., http://psychtests.com, +1 514-745-3189 Ext: 112, [email protected]
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