Mens' Quest For Wholeness:
Conselling Needs Of Pakeha Males

In this chapter I will claim that one of the most significant factors explaining the high levels of domestic and public violence in New Zealand is the definition of masculinity that Pakeha men have inherited and the risks and demands for men who attempt to achieve it. In order to comprehend the extreme stress which the Pakeha definition of masculinity places on men, we need to begin by understanding how culture-specific every definition of masculinity (and femininity) is. Next we need to review how this Pakeha definition developed as a result of the history of European settlers and settlements in this country, leading to a summary composite of "manliness" in Pakeha tradition. Finally, this chapter will address some therapeutic methodologies which counselors might employ to support Pakeha men in their struggle toward a more holistic identity which refuses to take the traditional expectations of Pakeha masculinity at face value.

"It is very hard for a Kiwi to admit that he is half woman" (Baxter, 1990, 199)

New Zealand statistics suggest that our men are in trouble:

• 80% of alcohol sold is consumed by men.
• Six times more young men than young women commit suicide (Shenon, 1995; see also "Boys have ...", 1995).
• 94% of drunk drivers are males.
• The country has one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world.
• 86% of all violent offenders are males.
• Of the 71 homicides in New Zealand in 1995, 60 were committed by men.

1. The Construction of Gender
   
2. The Effects of Theology and Literature
   
3. Diagramming the Historical Construction
   
4. Using the Pakeha Construct Therapeutically
   
5. The Psychoeducational Approach
   
6. Working with Men in Resistance
   
7. Who Should Counsel Pakeha Men?
   
8. When to Terminate
   
9. Bibliography
   
10. References & Notes