Reference no: EM133721269

Leeroy story-To me, life was a constant struggle, and I could never slow down. I was a driving and driven man, and my single goal in life was to prove myself and become a financial and business success. Life was a series of performances that involved me pleasing others and then waiting for the applause to come. But the applause was never enough, and I felt empty when the applause would die down. So I continued to push myself to give more performances, and I worked 70 to 90 hours a week. I was on my way to becoming the president of a corporation, and I was thinking that I had it made.

When I got my W-2 form, I became aware that I had made more money than was in my plan for success, yet I had had a miserable year. Then one day I became ill, landed in the hospital, and almost died. I began to look at my life and slow down, and I realized there is a world out there that does not solely involve my work. I decided that I wanted to experience life, to smell more flowers, and to not kill myself with a program I had never consciously chosen for myself. I decided to work no more than 50 hours a week. With that extra time, I decided to smell life-there are a lot of roses in life, and the scent is enticing and exciting to me. I'll thrive on it as long as I can breathe. KidStock/Blend/Glow Images Men are challenging traditional male roles and embracing a new and different set of behavioral norms.

1. To what degree do think he is the product of his social and cultural conditioning? How did crisis in his life act as a catalyst to change his view of himself as a man and what he wanted in life?
2. Along the same lines as above, what are your reactions to the case of Leroy? To what extent can identify with him whether are a man or a woman? If you are a man, how would like Leroy as your closest friend? If are a woman, what do you imagine it would be like to live with him?
3. What are your thoughts about androgyny as an alternative to rigid gender roles? What are the characteristics of both sexes that y like to incorporate into a personality?
4. Can we trace a few significant influences on own gender-role identity development? How was image as a woman or a man shaped?