Gråtens världar

Perspektiv på mäns tårar

Abstract

This study, based on interviews with army officers, focuses on crying as an action, creating meanings in our interpretation of the world. The discourse of male crying includes the image of a man wanting to express himself emotionally, but unable to because of the traditional ideal of self-control. Here, I have looked upon crying as a non-reflexive "choice" of action. A man can "choose" to cry or to acknowledge the image of being able to be in control of his feelings.

Tears can be seen as a means to create and confirm a close relationship, since crying has an emotional border-crossing function, between beings and between worlds. Crying helps us to grasp a new world, suddenly opened, since we can only understand and experience the world through our emotions and moods.