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Men seek help less often than women and underutilize medical and mental health services. This article explores three bodies of theory and research related to men’s help seeking. Gender social-ization theories, social constructionist theories, and social psycho-logical theories are considered. Each theoretical paradigm is illus-trated through case examples and considered in light of its ability to help health care providers understand men’s orientation to health care and help seeking. Strategies to increase men’s help seeking are also explored. Key Words: men’s help seeking, health care, strategies to increase men’s help-seeking behavior A greeting card pictures Moses walking in the desert, looking lost. The caption reads: “Why did Moses spend 40 years wandering in the desert? Because he wouldn’t ask for directions. ” Popular images of men who refuse to ask for help for problems abound in U.S. culture. Sadly, research findings validate the popular idea that men do not seek help often enough. In this article, we review the evidence sup-porting the conventional wisdom that men infrequently seek help. We use case examples to illustrate three bodies of theory and research that are particularly rele-vant to understanding the problem and suggest strategies to increase men’s help seeking. Correspondence concerning this article should be sent to Abigail K. Mansfield, Department of Psychol-
Mansfield et al. (Thu,) studied this question.