Along with greater use of alcohol and drugs, it is
suggested that men use other forms of physical,
non-verbal methods of dealing with distress. For
instance, research has examined the way that
fighting is used by some men in response to bullying.
Green and colleagues’ research with ex-military
personnel identified a complex and ambiguous set
of relationships between aggression, social bonds
and mental health. Here they discuss the account of
a man who had been bullied, and who responded to
this by learning to fight; significantly, he did this
rather than ‘seeking help’: