Men Talking about Viagra

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore men’s attitudes to Viagra in a social context. Two focus groups were established. The first comprised six members of a sports club; the second included three patients attending a clinic for men with erectile dysfunction, aged between 45 and 65. Each group met for one hour. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to identify themes. Analysis indicated the overriding theme for the first group of maintaining a masculine image through denial of any deliberate knowledge of or interest in the topic; for the second group, there was a theme of sadness at being unable to “confess” their problem because of potential loss of masculine image. Men in group contexts talk about Viagra in ways that serve to project a masculine image. Masculine image may be more important to men than their health.