Dr. Orion Taraban is a licensed psychologist who specializes in men’s mental health and healthy masculinity. He caught our attention when we began seeing his teachings and advice packaged in five to ten-minute videos on his PsycHacks YouTube channel, which has garnered 80,000 subscribers to date.
It is clear from Dr. Taraban’s videos and his website that he understands and empathizes with the struggling modern male. He is aware that American society generally prioritizes solving women’s problems over solving men’s problems. At the same time, he encourages men to face reality as it is and to learn how to become the best versions of themselves. As he puts it, “safe passages exist – if one knows how to seek them out.”
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Dr. Taraban’s YouTube channel “provides viewers with brief, thought-provoking videos on a variety of psychological topics inspired by his clinical practice. Each video contains a core idea intended to inspire viewers to see something about themselves or their world in a slightly different light. The ultimate mission of the channel is to reduce the amount of unnecessary suffering in the world.” Check out Dr. Taraban’s PsycHacks YouTube channel.
What does Orion Taraban think about a government commission on boys and men?
Dr. Taraban makes videos on requested topics for a fee. We asked him if he would make a video explaining his perspective on this assertion: Institutions that have explicitly been empowering women and girls for decades should add to their purview work that will improve the well-being of boys and men. Below is the video that resulted. It was published on March 31, 2023, and so far it has 12,000 views, 900 likes, and 200 comments.
Dr. Taraban wrote the following description of the video, which appears below the video on YouTube:
“In this sponsored episode, I talk about the failure of a bill legislating the creation of a state commission on boys and men’s issues to receive a hearing in the Washington State legislature for the second year in a row — despite being authored by two women and enjoying bipartisan support. I discuss why that might be the case, including: the common misconception that men and women’s success is a zero sum game, and the usefulness of fomenting animosity between the sexes.”
Dr. Taraban’s insightful views on struggles of modern manhood
On the homepage of his website, Dr. Taraban provides a very insightful description of the challenges facing the modern male. He also outlines the five elements that characterize his approach to psychotherapy. It is recommended reading. Below is a three-paragraph excerpt.
It isn’t easy being a man. Among the difficulties are a general lack of support and validation. Men’s issues are not openly acknowledged. Expressions of vulnerability and need are incongruous with the male archetypes which men are socially rewarded for enacting. As a result, men are often left with the unappealing choice between suffering alone or suffering in silence. Other men make a virtue out of a necessity. They identify so intensely with their roles that they are left bewildered as to why they remain discontent in the midst of their “success.” Those who cannot navigate these waters skillfully often flounder on the shoals of bitterness and resignation. They come to believe that this is just the “way things are.” However, safe passages exist – if one knows how to seek them out.
Helping men become the best versions of themselves. On the whole, modern society is not very sympathetic to the struggles of men. From the boardroom to the bedroom, they routinely receive conflicting messages and competing incentives. The complaints of a “privileged” class, men’s issues are often shamed and minimized, considered incongruous with the very roles they may be criticized for occupying. In the face of apathy and antagonism, men withdraw physically and emotionally. Some become bitter and cynical; others resign themselves to a life of joyless sacrifice. However, most are bewildered at the prospect of successfully navigating an increasingly complex social construct, where the consequences of male failure are more destructive than ever.
Men understand that no one is coming to save them. And it is in their willingness to assume responsibility for the conditions of their lives that their great potential resides. By reconnecting with their masculine drive, men can develop the firmness, clarity, and purpose necessary to overcome the often self-imposed obstacles in the path of their personal realization. This is a life-changing process by which men can arrive at peace through the active transformation of their hearts and minds. The upshot is a more successful professional life, more fulfilling personal relationships, and a respite from the isolation, indifference, and despair to which men are too often subject.
Continue reading…
Dr. Taraban posted two excerpts of the video to his PsycHacks Instagram profile. Below is one of the two.
‘Barking up the wrong tree’
Below is a partial transcript of Dr. Taraban’s video about the effort to create a Washington State Commission on Boys and Men.
What do I think about [HB 1270 not advancing in the legislature]? Well, I’m not surprised honestly. I don’t think that men’s issues garner a lot of sympathy and support, and in many respects that’s why I don’t talk about them very much. I don’t know if that’s a silencing principle, but it seems to be like just sort of barking up the wrong tree. Is that the way it should be? Probably not. Is that the way the world operates right now? Absolutely. Why do I think that is? It’s why I named this episode “Divide and Conquer”.
In thinking about my response to this, I was reminded about some of the ways in which the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy is used as an instrument of social control. I think I was first introduced to this idea in high school when I read Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. He talks about how a lot of the racism in this country is not so much racism as it is disguised classism. He gives examples of how a lot of the pre-existing power structures throughout American history have fomented racial hatred, especially between poor Whites and poor Blacks. The reason they did that is if those poor folks could see that they had more in common than not, then their sheer numbers might be a threat to the prevailing power base of that society.
I think what’s going on more often in this era — a divide and conquer strategy with respect to men and women. I think that in general women are seeing men more and more as the enemy, and, increasingly, men are seeing women more and more as the enemy. And I think this prevents people — humans, who might have way more in common than you might think — from joining forces and examining where is this really coming from? Who benefits from turning men and women against each other? Who benefits from men being weakened? I don’t think it’s women… (Watch the video for Dr. Taraban’s full response.)