Using over 10 years of research, the author of Messages Men Hear constructs a comprehensive theory of masculinity by exploring how men form their gender identities and how those identities influence their behaviour. The book takes 24 males messages, or gender 'norms', for example: 'adventurer', 'be like your father', 'money', 'superman', 'scholar', 'bosses', 'nurturer', and examines the influence of these messages on men. Drawing on a diverse sample of over 500 men from different class backgrounds, races and ethnic groups, the author describes how men learn these messages, how individual men respond to them, and how their influence changes over the course of a man's life. This comprehensive account of male identity formation throughout the life-span provides a new paradigm for gender research that will be of interest to those interested in the gender debate.