Masculinity and Self Perception of Men Identified as Informal Leaders

Current men's literature is vast and contradictory. This exploratory narrative study uses open ended interviews with 10 men selected as informal leaders in their church to look at the development of masculinity, self concept and informal leadership. These men range in age from 52-82 and come from both white collar and blue collar occupations. The study looks for common themes in the lives of these men in their development, leadership experience and self concept. Event though the men come from a variety of backgrounds there is similarity in their experiences. The themes are presented and discussed based on the literature review and the life experience of the men.