Problems

The Causes (The Dimensions)

The Masculine Dimension

  • Men have problems expressing their emotions. Why? Not that important, but for many reasons:
    • The are neither expected nor encouraged to express their emotions ,
    • They don’t see the utility,
    • It’s a sign of weakness,
    • It’s a feminine trait; emasculating,
    • It’s inconsistent with a rational, “stiff upper lip”, upper class view of self
    • It’s embarassing

Compare how politicians who show emotion are treated in the media, e.g. Hilary Clinton in the 2016 US presidential elections.

The STEM Dimension

  • An industry centered on logic, computation, rational thinking, etc. doesn’t need to put an emphasis on emotion.

  • cf. The ways in which we do STEM are not the ways in which we communicate STEM.

  • We can trace this back to Decartes and the duality of mind and body, to the segregration of academic disciplines, the philosophy of science and the scientific method, and so on.

  • Pride in not being able to communicate clearly. Perception of people who communicate clearly being inept scientists. “Those who can do; those who can’t teach”.

  • The joy of confusion — Scientists enjoy having the “a-ha!” moment. Of having to figure things out and having the light go off reinforces their status as part of the group that gets it, a feeling of being on the inside and having to work to get there.

  • Reductionism in teaching — belief of that one thing which will flip a switch, turn on the light bulb and — ding — all of a sudden everyone gets it.

The Neurodiversity Dimension

An abundance of neurodiverse individuals who thrive in STEM roles and also have difficulty expressing and recognizing emotions.

The Stimulant Dimension

  • cf. Performance enhancing drugs and emotion? Do some research on this topic.

The Effects (The Situation)

Combined, this leads to a STEM culture that raises barriers to empathy. Individuals who are able to express emotions are integrated into this culture and may actively suppress this ability in the interest of social cohesion (i.e. “fitting in”) and career advancement.

The Cause (The Solution)

It’s not enough to say “be more empathic”, or even to practice “strategic empathy”. The cultural change needed to address the empathy gap is so large as to constitute an identity crisis. Nonetheless, the culture is changing, driven partly by wider trends in cultural norms outside of a strictly STEM environment. Regardless, that is besides the point, the aim here is not to try and hasten or instigate a cultural change, but to consider how to work within the cultural framework in which STEMians — and increasingly, many non-STEMians — find themselves.