Summary: A new study reveals that adolescent boys react aggressively to perceived threats to their masculinity, especially in environments with strict gender norms.
The researchers found that boys whose motivation to be masculine was social pressure were more likely to show aggression. This behavior, rooted in adolescence, highlights the impact of social pressures on gender conformity.
The findings call for consideration of restrictive norms to prevent harmful behaviors associated with threatened masculinity.
Key facts:
- Social pressure: Boys with masculinity under social pressure show higher aggression when their masculinity is threatened.
- Impact of Puberty: Aggression in response to threats to masculinity is seen in boys in mid to late puberty.
- Parental influence: Boys whose parents support stereotypical gender beliefs are more likely to show aggression.
source: NYU
It has long been established that certain men become aggressive when they see their masculinity threatened. When does this behavior emerge during development—and why?
A new study by a team of psychology researchers shows that adolescent boys may also react aggressively when they believe their masculinity is threatened — especially boys who grow up in environments with rigid, stereotypical gender norms.
The findings reported in the journal Developmental Sciencehighlight the effects of the social pressure many boys face to be stereotypically masculine.
“We know that not all men respond aggressively to threats to masculinity—in previous work, we found that the most aggressive in the face of such threats are primarily men whose stereotypical masculinity is under social pressure,” says Adam Stanaland, a postdoctoral fellow at New York University. and lead author of the paper.
“We now have evidence that some adolescent boys respond in a similar way, pointing to the foundations of these potentially harmful processes.”
“Beyond just aggression, threats to masculinity are associated with a wide variety of negative, antisocial behaviors, such as sexism, homophobia, political bigotry and even anti-environmentalism,” adds Stanaland.
“Our findings call for actively challenging the restrictive norms and social pressures boys face to be stereotypically masculine, especially during puberty and coming from their parents and peers.”
Research has long shown that perceived threats to men’s “gender typicality”—conforming appearance and behavior to societal expectations of women and men—can lead them to engage in harmful behaviors aimed at asserting their typicality. Researchers in the new study sought to understand the development of this phenomenon and the social environment in which it occurs.
Stanaland, as a doctoral student at Duke University, led this experiment, which involved more than 200 adolescent boys in the US and one of their parents. Boys first reported the extent to which their motivation to be masculine was intrinsically motivated or instead driven by a desire to gain other people’s approval or avoid their disapproval.
The boys then played a game in which they answered five masculinity-stereotyped questions (e.g., “Which of these tools is the Phillips screwdriver?”) and five femininity-stereotyped questions (e.g., “Which of these flowers is a poppy fairy?” “).
They were randomly told that their score was either atypical of their gender (ie, more like girls and a “threat” to their masculinity) or typical of their gender (ie, more like other boys and does not pose a threat).
To measure aggression, the study authors then asked study participants to engage in a cognitive task: completing a series of random words (e.g., “GU_”) that could be completed either aggressively (e.g., “PISTOL”) or not (eg “HUMAN” or “GUTS”). In this commonly used task, the key indicator is the proportion of aggressive word completions.
The study also took into account demographic and other variables. In an attempt to determine the life stage at which gender typicality might have an effect on aggression, boys, with parental approval, answered questions on the Puberty Development Scale, a standard and validated measure of puberty.
They answered questions about changes in their voice and facial hair growth, among others, rated on the following scale: 1=not yet started, 2=just started, 3=definitely started, or 4=appears to be complete. Given the sensitivity of this scale, participants were allowed to select “Don’t know” or “Prefer not to say” for each item.
Finally, the researchers looked at the environmental sources that might be putting pressure on boys to be motivated to be gender-typical, including the pressure they said they felt from peers, parents and themselves. They also asked participating parents about their gender-related beliefs.
The questions and data are available at the Open Science Center website.
The experimental results showed the following:
- Like young adult males, adolescent boys in mid- to late puberty (but not before) responded with aggression to perceived threats to their gender typicality.
- Aggression is elevated among boys whose motivation to be gender-typical is due to pressure from others (ie, driven by social expectations) rather than from themselves.
- Boys most likely to reveal this “motivation under pressure” are those whose parents support stereotypical beliefs about male status and power (eg, that men should have more power than people of the opposite sex).
“Male aggression poses challenges to societies around the world, ranging from public safety to intimate personal relationships,” notes Andrei Tsimpian, a professor in NYU’s Department of Psychology and senior author of the paper.
“By identifying when and why some boys begin to show aggressive responses to threats to masculinity, this research is a first step in preventing the development of ‘fragile’ masculinities – masculinities that need to be constantly proven and affirmed – and their very negative consequences among grown men.”
The paper’s other authors include Sarah Gaither and Anna Gasman-Pines, professors at Duke University, and Daniela Galvez-Cepeda, a research associate in the Cimpian Cognitive Development Laboratory and a recent graduate of Williams College.
Financing: The research was funded in part by the Charles Lafitte Foundation.
About this news about research on neurodevelopment and aggression
Author: James Devitt
source: NYU
Contact: James Devitt – New York University
Image: Image credit: Neuroscience News
Original research: The findings will be published in Developmental Science
