We invite you to the next open meeting of the Behaviour in Crisis Lab. On 10 June, our guest will be Dr Simon Fokt, a philosopher, educator, and writer. His work focuses on applied ethics, aesthetics, and metaphilosophy, and he has taught at universities including St Andrews, Edinburgh, Leeds, and Berlin. In his talk, he will introduce the concept of so-called positive narratives, which aim to inspire men to reconsider behaviours and self-understandings without resorting to shame, moralising, or defensive reactions, instead emphasising personal growth, systemic reflection, and social connection.
🗣 Lecture title:
"Inspiring Better Masculinities Through Positive Narratives: A Roadmap for Empirical Investigations"
In this presentation, Dr Fokt will outline an approach based on positive narratives, aimed at engaging men in building more gender-equitable relationships. In the context of the growing influence of the manosphere, anti-feminist backlash, and broader tensions around equality, this approach offers an alternative to strategies based on shame or moral pressure. Change is framed here as a process of development, reflection, and relationship-building—presented as an adventure, recalibration, self-care, or building a better future, rather than as a moral obligation, loss of privilege, or cultural cost.
The talk will present the underlying theoretical framework along with key research questions concerning the effectiveness of narratives across cultural and social contexts. It will also explore practical applications, ranging from educational campaigns and workshops to media and digital interventions, which can support the development of prosocial attitudes and more gender-equitable models of masculinity.
Dr Simon Fokt is a philosopher, educator, and author. He has published in applied ethics, aesthetics, and metaphilosophy, and has taught at institutions including St Andrews, Edinburgh, Leeds, and Berlin. He is the founder of PathForge, a think tank dedicated to promoting positive masculinities, a board member of MenEngage Europe, and the creator of the Diversity Reading List.
🔎 More about the speaker: About Dr Simon Fokt | Men's Psychologist & Philosopher
Abstract:
Recent research highlights the importance of calling men in towards shaping a gender-just future and fostering engagement with evolving norms of masculinity. Doing so is vital from the perspective of countering the anti-feminist backlash, rise of authoritarianism, and resistance to social justice and DEI initiatives, all of which have been tied with the rise of patriarchal messages and growing impact of the fast-changing ‘Manosphere’. The paper presents positive narratives as a comprehensive framework for designing interventions which seek to inspire men to recalibrate behaviors and self-concepts without inducing shame, moralizing, or defensive reactions, and instead foreground personal growth, systemic reflection, and social connection, framing change as adventure, recalibration, self-care, or building a better future, rather than as a moral obligation, giving up privilege, or a cultural loss. Building on this framework, the paper identifies key empirical questions for future investigation. These include evaluating narrative effectiveness across diverse audiences, understanding how emotion, pride, and identity interact to motivate engagement, and examining the transferability of narrative principles to different cultural, socio-economic, and institutional contexts. Further, I highlight opportunities to investigate how specific interventions, ranging from educational campaigns, workshops, and media representations, to gamified and social media applications, can foster measurable improvements in developing a sense of stability and purpose in life, prosocial behavior, and gender-equitable practices. This approach offers high potential for knowledge transfer: by systematically testing, refining, and adapting positive narratives, researchers can inform policy, educational programming, and organizational interventions, while generating actionable insights for practitioners working with boys and men. Finally, the paper outlines a roadmap for collaborative, interdisciplinary inquiry that bridges psychological, sociological, and communication sciences, positioning positive narratives as a promising lever for both scientific understanding and practical impact.
📍 Where?
Institute of Psychology, Jagiellonian University
6 Ingardena Street, Room 5.01
or online (MS Teams): Meeting link
🗓 When?
10 June 2026
🕐 Time
3:00–4:00 pm