Recognizing Vulnerabilities of Young Masculinities in Youth Work: Three Perspectives on Masculine Vulnerability Linking Social Structures and Agency

Abstract

In this article, I discuss and analyze how vulnerabilities within the group of young masculinities can be recognized in the context of youth work. I analyze vulnerability from three different perspectives: a contextual, a performance, and a relationship perspective. The discussion is grounded on critical realism and adaptive theory focusing on how vulnerability is interconnected with social structures and social agency. The theoretical conceptualization on these three perspectives on vulnerability can be implemented in order to generate a nuanced understanding of how social groups, such as boys’ and young men’s vulnerabilities are manifested in practice. To acknowledge vulnerabilities it is essential to understand how all human life is conditioned by social structures, gender norms, and social relationships. However, being vulnerable does not exclude the dimension of human agency. Therefore, all vulnerable groups and individuals are accountable for their actions, particularly with regard to how they encounter others.