Makamure, ClemenceClemenceMakamure2025-02-132025-02-132025978-3-98989-042-8https://fis.uni-bamberg.de/handle/uniba/106059Toxic masculinity compels men to use dominance, violence, and control to assert their power and superiority. Societies tell boys to “man up” when they feel upset or justifying abusive and inappropriate behavior with the phrase “boys will be boys.” Such calls from societies make boys and men aggressively compete and dominate others and encompasses the most problematic proclivities. This paper is set to implore the socio-cultural-ethical perspective in looking at the effects of toxic masculinity to the mental health of men in Zimbabwe. The paper shall disentangle the social effects of toxic masculinity like violence, drug-related crime, anti-social behaviors, drug overdoses, lack of accountability and suicides. The paper shall also try to unravel how stigma and societal pressures, make men to refrain from seeking mental health treatment. The paper argues that toxic masculinity does not allow males to fully express themselves and their emotional needs because people may view it as a sign of weakness or vulnerability. The Afrocentric theory shall be used to probe the social cultural ethical beliefs of the African on the character and nature of boys and men. Document analysis, interviews and personal observations shall be used to glean data in this paper.engMasculinitytoxic masculinitymental healthethicssocial ethicsZimbabwe300bookpart