Department of Psychiatry, Douglas Mental Health University Institute, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada.
PLoS One. 2020 Feb 26;15(2):e0229719. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0229719. eCollection 2020.
In the last decade, a cross-national community of like-minded young men has emerged, commonly known as 'the seduction community'. This community is led by professional 'pick-up artists' who teach these young men a variety of techniques and mindsets with the stated aim of improving their success with women, or 'game'. There has been little research on the men who participate in this community, and none from a mental health angle. As such, this study is propelled by two specific objectives, namely documenting and understanding (i) the reasons why young men join the seduction community; and (ii) the impacts of community involvement on participants' lives. To meet these aims, we used an inductive qualitative methodology giving ample scope for bottom-up understandings to emerge. Specifically, we recruited young men participating in the seduction community for an in-depth qualitative interview (N = 34) to explore self-reported motives and impacts. Interviews were augmented by lengthy participant observation, and data was analyzed by content analysis techniques. The results reveal that men often join the community to address a range of psychosocial deficits, and that community involvement successfully equips participants with numerous valued social and communication skills. The community appears to fill a void in providing a place of hope, fellowship and learning for young (often immigrant) men. The findings are summarized in five themes (i) loneliness and social inclusion; (ii) lack of male role models and need for guidance; (iii) mental health and well-being issues; (iv) skill acquisition and personal development; and (v) the dark side of pick-up. Interestingly, some of the practices commonly taught and utilized within the community resemble aspects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and mental health peer support. This may explain its evident appeal. We conclude by reflecting on the implications of the findings for official mental health service provision for young men.
在过去的十年中，出现了一个跨国界的志同道合的年轻男性群体，通常被称为“搭讪社区”。这个社区由专业的“搭讪艺术家”领导，他们教授这些年轻男性各种技巧和思维模式，旨在提高他们与女性的成功几率，即“游戏”。对于参与这个社区的男性，几乎没有研究，也没有从心理健康的角度进行研究。因此，这项研究有两个具体目标，即记录和理解（i）年轻人加入搭讪社区的原因；以及（ii）社区参与对参与者生活的影响。为了实现这些目标，我们使用了一种归纳定性方法，为自下而上的理解提供了充分的空间。具体来说，我们招募了参与搭讪社区的年轻男性进行深入的定性访谈（N=34），以探讨自我报告的动机和影响。访谈通过长时间的参与者观察得到补充，数据通过内容分析技术进行分析。结果表明，男性通常加入社区是为了解决一系列心理社会缺陷，而社区参与成功地为参与者提供了许多有价值的社交和沟通技巧。社区似乎为年轻（通常是移民）男性提供了一个充满希望、友谊和学习的地方。研究结果总结为五个主题：（i）孤独和社会包容；（ii）缺乏男性榜样和指导需求；（iii）心理健康和福祉问题；（iv）技能获取和个人发展；以及（v）搭讪的阴暗面。有趣的是，社区中通常教授和使用的一些实践类似于认知行为疗法和心理健康同伴支持的某些方面。这也许可以解释它的明显吸引力。最后，我们反思了这些发现对为年轻男性提供官方心理健康服务的影响。
