Search Results: understanding men

Of all the men and women you've known in life: friends, partners, family members etc who tend to be better listeners?

Here's some advice on how to be a better listener:

"Show You Are Listening

Part of really listening is responding in a way that shows the other person we are paying attention. We can demonstrate we are truly listening in four different ways. For example, if a coworker comes to you and complains about their micromanaging boss, you could show you are listening by:

Reflecting back the content
Example: As you see it, your boss is micromanaging you…

Reflecting back the feeling
Example: So you feel frustrated because…

Reflecting both content and feeling
Example: You feel frustrated because your boss is micromanaging you…

Being silent and attentive
A helpful phrase to show you are listening might be:

So you feel ___________________ because ______________________.

Other helpful phrases might include:

You seem…
You sound…
What I’m hearing is…
As you see it…
Tell me more…
Is there anything else…
Not only is listening to others a key life skill, it can also have a tremendous impact on building trust in a relationship. When we take the time to listen, we show the other person that we care—that we are interested in understanding their perspective. That can go a long way toward building, or rebuilding, a relationship.

“The purpose of life is to listen – to yourself, to your neighbor, to your world and to God and, when the time comes, to respond in as helpful a way as you can find … from within and without.” ~ Fred Rogers

I am Neurodivergent. For those who need a brief understanding, it's a word to describe people with neurological disorders that changes the way they view, interact, and live in this world and the people in it. Things such as Autism, ADHD, and others are grouped into Neurodivergence.

This world was not built for neurodivergent people. And as a man, I'm not seen as being "manly enough". I'm seen as "too emotional", not stoic enough, worry too much, too weak, seen as lazy for not being able to withstand way more than a typical man can.

This also goes with relationships or finding them. This goes with pre-conceived expectations at work. Out in about in public. Trying to socialize.

People have these expectations and they expect and want me to be like everyone else. They try to "give me advice" on things I'm not doing well enough or demonize me for being different. Both men and women. And I must ask, do I need to? Do I need to fit into these molds made by society for a typical man just because I maybe "high-functioning"? Am I exempt from the standard molds and can just make my own?

In a attempt to have a healthier outlook on humanity, and to silence my own personal biases about the opposite gender, I would like to get some opinions on how men and women can learn to be allies instead of enemies, I feel society tends to make us think negatively of each other, I’d like to be able to discuss the unique struggles of both genders, show compassion and empathy for each other’s hardships, think how we can make each other stronger if we stop assuming the worst about each other, and learn to value and appreciate each other’s strengths and weaknesses, I’d love to see society start leaning more towards these topics… so I guess these are my questions…
1.) how can we be less biased about the opposite gender?
2.) do you think it’s possible for the majority of men and women to be allies instead of enemies?
3.) what are steps to have a deeper understanding and appreciation for each other?
4.) how can we improve dating / casual sex?
5.) do our preferences in who we date / hookup with reinforce bad habits in society?
6.) as men and women should we oppose double standards?