Masculinity and professional identity: exploring the experiences of male Educational Psychologists

Educational Psychology in the United Kingdom (UK) continues to be characterised by a pronounced gender imbalance, with men representing a minority. Research has explored male experiences in related professions, but little is known about how male Educational Psychologists (EPs) experience the profession. This thesis addresses the gap by exploring how male EPs make sense of, construct, and experience their professional identity and masculinity when in role, and how these identity processes intersect with the wider sociocultural landscape and discourse around masculinity and gendered expectations. Three online focus groups were conducted with 14 male EPs across the UK. Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used to analyse the data, generating four main themes: “Can You See Me?”: The Situational Visibility of Masculinity; “Am I Too Much?”: Regulating Masculinity for Relational Safety; “How Far Can I Go?”: The Paradox of Minority Status and Male Advantage; “What is Masculinity?”: Plurality, Contestation and Reflexive Deconstruction. Masculinity was constructed by participants as dynamic, relational, and reflexively negotiated rather than fixed, shifting between visibility and invisibility within professional practice, and becoming situationally salient within certain contexts. Once visible, it was often actively regulated to maintain relational safety and alignment with the collaborative ethos of Educational Psychology. Participants also described a paradoxical position of experiencing minority status while recognising wider structural male advantage linked to authority, legitimacy, and leadership. Finally, masculinity became the subject of reflexive questioning, with participants challenging dominant masculine norms and constructing alternative understandings grounded in care, emotional attunement, and relational practice. The findings highlight the ongoing importance of creating reflective professional spaces in which gender and masculinity can be meaningfully explored within supervision, training, and workforce development. Findings have been considered in relation to existing literature and implications for the profession have been highlighted. Considerations have also been made to limitations and potential further research.