Introduction
Machismo, or hypermasculinity, is an exaggeration of masculine stereotyped behavior, such as an emphasis on physical strength, violence, and sexuality. A similar term marianismo is an element of the feminine gender role in machismo. The study by Nuñez et al. (2017) focuses on the issue of machismo and marianismo that are widespread among Latino community. The primary goal of the paper is to investigate the relationship between marianismo and machismo and destructive cognitive-emotional behavior including depression, anxiety, and aggression.
Article Summary
The article uses information from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL) Sociocultural Ancillary Study. Nuñez et al. (2017) conducted a qualitative study, providing no essential statistical data. The participants were interviewed, and their answers were analyzed using different methods. As a result, it was found that machismo causes anxiety and cynical hostility. This might be due to the portrayal of men as dominant and emotionally restricted (Nuñez et al., 2017, p. 9). The findings are consistent with Brimhall’s (2018) theory that men experience shame when they fail to meet social standards. Similar to machismo, marianismo is associated with high levels of negative cognitive factors. The high response on the “silencing self to maintain harmony” subscale was a result of societal pressure that women submit to male authority. The high response in this subscale is associated with cynicism, mistrust, and depression (Nuñez et al., 2017, p. 10). The same idea was expressed by Da Silva et al. (2021), who found that “silent social position” causes distress among Latino adult women (p. 15). Overall, marianismo and machismo negatively impact the mental state of Latin women and men.
The study also provides evidence about bi-dimensional nature of machismo – traditional machismo and caballerismo – and about the absence of a universal understanding of machismo among the Hispanic population. The acquired knowledge can be used in nursing practice to explain behavioral patterns and gender roles of the Hispanic population. Machismo and marianismo-related mistrust and hatred should not be seen as personal attacks but rather as the results of societal norms. Therefore, the nurse must provide psychological support and exhibit high levels of empathy when dealing with Latin patients.
Article Critique
The article is written on the relevant topic of cultural ideologies’ influence on people’s mental health. Nuñez et al. (2017) have chosen effective methods for analyzing interview responses, such as The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D 10), The Spielberger Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), The Spielberger Trait Anger Scale, and others. The authors make conclusions by analyzing and comparing the obtained and literature data. In addition, the article considers machismo from different angles: traditional and caballerism.
However, the article has several limitations. For example, the Hispanic population has different sociocultural and socio-demographic backgrounds. Therefore, it is unknown whether the same trend is observed in other Hispanic populations. In addition, the answers given by the respondents may not be sincere because they may answer in accordance with social norms. Despite all the article’s weaknesses, it is helpful for understanding the concept of the mentality of Latin Americans. Therefore, I would recommend the article to my colleagues for research.
Conclusion
To conclude, Nuñez et al. (2017) provided a high-quality paper on the relevant topic of machismo and marianismo. The main purpose of the work to study the link between machismo, marianismo, and negative cognitive-emotional factors was achieved. As it was found, machismo mainly causes hostility toward others and anxiety, while marianismo causes mistrust, depression, and cynicism. The article uses strong reasoning and provides evidence, but it cannot be generalized to a broader population.
Reference
Brimhall, A. L. (2018). Gender role conflict as a mediating factor between traditional machismo and shame proneness in Mexican men.ProQuest Central.
Da Silva, N., Verdejo, T. R., Dillon, F. R., Ertl, M. M., & De La Rosa, M. (2018). Marianismo beliefs, intimate partner violence, and psychological distress among recently immigrated, young adult Latinas.Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1(23).
Nuñez, A., González, P., Talavera, G. A., Sanchez-Johnsen, L., Roesch, S. C., Davis, S. M., Arguelles, W., Womack, V. Y., Ostrovsky, N. W., Ojeda, L., Penedo, F. J., & Gallo, L. C. (2017). Machismo, marianismo, and negative cognitive-emotional factors: Findings from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Sociocultural Ancillary Study.Journal of Latina/o Psychology, 4(4), 202–217.