Journal article 210 views 3 downloads
Incels and psychotherapy: Experiences, attitudes, and resistance to mental-health interventions
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Andrew Thomas ,
Macken Murphy
Psychotherapy Research, Pages: 1 - 15
Swansea University Author:
Andrew Thomas
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© 2025 The Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License.
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DOI (Published version): 10.1080/10503307.2025.2600546
Abstract
Objective: Men are more reluctant than women to engage with psychotherapy. Incels—an online community of involuntary celibates—have been identified as needing mental health intervention. Despite high rates of depression, suicidality, and social isolation, little is known about their therapy experien...
| Published in: | Psychotherapy Research |
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| ISSN: | 1050-3307 1468-4381 |
| Published: |
Informa UK Limited
2025
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| Online Access: |
Check full text
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa71073 |
| Abstract: |
Objective: Men are more reluctant than women to engage with psychotherapy. Incels—an online community of involuntary celibates—have been identified as needing mental health intervention. Despite high rates of depression, suicidality, and social isolation, little is known about their therapy experiences or attitudes. Methods: We collected 100 psychotherapy discussion threads from incels.is, the largest incel forum. Inductive thematic analysis identified community attitudes toward psychotherapy. We also coded the experiences of 89 users who reported attending therapy, quantitatively assessing therapist gender, motivation, and satisfaction. Results: Among incels reporting therapy experiences, 70.8% reported negative outcomes and 7.9% reported satisfaction. None of those forced into therapy (25.8%) reported positive outcomes. Thematic analysis revealed barriers to engagement: (1) “blackpill” ideology attributing sexual/romantic deprivation to immutable factors; (2) conspiracy theories framing therapy as designed to sedate and control; (3) view of therapy as female-biased and hostile to men; (4) practical concerns including cost, privacy, and hospitalization. Conclusions: Incels present intervention challenges due to their fatalistic worldview, institutional distrust, and extreme misogyny. Findings suggest potential benefits of male therapists and clear therapeutic goals that acknowledge but do not promise to resolve romantic concerns. |
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| Keywords: |
involuntary celibates, psychotherapy, masculinity, mental health, therapy resistance, online communities |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |
| Funders: |
Swansea University |
| Start Page: |
1 |
| End Page: |
15 |