Sex & Gender Archives – Integral Life

Redefining the Masculine (Without Losing the Man)

Keith Martin-Smith — Fri, 18 Jul 2025 18:31:32 +0000

In this episode of Integral Edge, Keith Martin-Smith explores the modern crisis of masculinity and offers a powerful framework for reclaiming the healthy strengths of traditional, modern, and postmodern masculine expressions. Rather than choosing between power and empathy, discipline and vulnerability, Keith shows how wholeness means learning to embody all of them—at the right time, in the right way.

This post was originally published on Integral Life.

Men, Meaning, and the Rise of the New Right

Keith Martin-Smith — Fri, 14 Mar 2025 19:36:05 +0000

The modern world is demanding more from men than ever before—strength and sensitivity, resilience and vulnerability, leadership and collaboration—yet many feel lost without clear role models or cultural support. This conversation explores the forces shaping modern masculinity, the allure of strongman archetypes, and the path toward a truly integrated, evolved form of masculinity that balances power with presence, agency with empathy, and tradition with transformation.

This post was originally published on Integral Life.

How to Awaken and Empower the Integral Man

Keith Martin-Smith — Thu, 04 Jan 2024 20:52:57 +0000

Keith Martin-Smith and Jason Lange explore the challenges and ongoing evolution of masculinity. Watch as they delve into topics such as the impact of societal norms on men's behavior, the importance of emotional intelligence, and the journey from traditional to more integrated forms of masculinity, bringing a wealth of insights to help men navigate their roles and identities in a rapidly changing social landscape.

This post was originally published on Integral Life.

The Power of Vulnerability: Embracing an Integrated Masculinity

Keith Martin-Smith — Fri, 01 Dec 2023 19:34:57 +0000

In this insightful discussion, Keith Martin-Smith addresses the misconceptions around male vulnerability, emphasizing its role as a source of strength and authenticity. He explores the transformative impact of embracing vulnerability on men's emotional health, relationships, and societal perceptions of masculinity.

This post was originally published on Integral Life.

Diversity, Empathy, and Integration: Reframing and Reclaiming a Movement Toward Healing and Wholeness

Brad Kershner — Thu, 24 Aug 2023 03:39:00 +0000

Brad Kershner offers a deep and detailed criticism of standard DEI approaches (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion), highlighting the complexities of ethnicity, race, and cultural evolution. He challenges prevailing educational metaphors grounded in the postmodern perspective, advocating for a more universal application of modern liberal values, and emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding to forge a more genuine and generative path forward for social justice.

This post was originally published on Integral Life.

Sex, Identity, Gender: Beyond Wokism and Trumpism

Corey deVos — Fri, 28 Jul 2023 19:07:32 +0000

Join us as we push even further into the front lines of the culture war skirmishes that have become so plentiful over the last several years. Corey deVos joins Keith to discuss how our notions of sex, gender, and identity apply to some of the most contentious and pressing issues of our time, and how they can be integrated into a more integral dialectic.

This post was originally published on Integral Life.

What Is a Man (And Why Does It Matter?)

Keith Martin-Smith — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 20:06:11 +0000

With all the cultural war battles being waged around the question "what is a woman", Keith Martin-Smith offers an integral discussion of manhood and masculinity — as a biological given, as a cultural construct, and as an ongoing source of identity.

This post was originally published on Integral Life.

An Integral Approach to Sexual Identity: Beyond Religion and Science

Michele Eliason — Mon, 31 Oct 2022 18:57:47 +0000

This article proposes an integral approach to sexual identity development that broadens the discussion beyond science and religion or nature versus nurture. A four-quadrant exploration of the research on the origins of sexual identity reveals much more complexity and highlights potential points for social justice interventions as well as ideas to enhance personal spiritual transformation.

This post was originally published on Integral Life.

How to Teach Kids About Sex and Gender

Dr. Keith Witt — Thu, 02 Jun 2022 19:48:56 +0000

What exactly are “developmentally appropriate, age-appropriate” ways to teach kids about sex, gender, and identity, not only for kids in kindergarten through third grade, but throughout the rest of childhood and adolescence? Which aspects are more appropriate to teach at home, and which are appropriate to teach at school? Watch as Dr. Keith and Corey share their thoughts.

This post was originally published on Integral Life.

Coding Gender: Using IMP to Construct a Content Analysis of Gender Definitions in Scientific Research

Jeff Cohen — Sun, 15 May 2022 20:11:53 +0000

The pervasive influence and conceptual complexity of gender as a scientific construct has lead to attempts to explain it from multiple perspectives. When each of these perspectives is offered, it tends to be presented as a complete explanation. Each perspective, however, likely offers only a partial truth concerning the enactment of gender. The recognition of the partiality of these perspectives indicates that each should be considered in some form when trying to address the full complexity of gender. It also makes clear that none should be privileged above any other. Through the application of the Integral model and Integral Methodological Pluralism (IMP), this article develops a broader and deeper conceptual and operational model for the study of gender than those that have been typically applied.

This post was originally published on Integral Life.