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Conference presentation
Show us your manhood! Precarious perceptions of men and masculinity
Frontiers in public health
Southern Cross University 13th Annual Honours Psychology Research Conference (Coffs Harbour, 07/10/2016)
2016
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Abstract
Aims: Precarious Manhood theorem suggests that ‘manhood’ is a tenuous and socially bestowed state. Beliefs in precarious manhood have been linked to male anxiety, violence, gambling decisions, and attitudes towards homosexuality. However, the influence of such beliefs on visual perceptions of others has not directly been explored. Kozlowski, van der Zwan, and Brooks (2016) found that observers judged target walkers significantly more often to be male than masculine while female and feminine judgements did not differ. This pattern of responding was consistent with the idea of precarious manhood. The current study tested whether or not that finding was robust when observers had the option of judging targets to be neither male nor female. Additionally, we explored whether and to what extent observers’ male and masculine judgements were related to their beliefs about the precarious nature of manhood. Method: Adult participants (N = 342; 230 female), were asked to make judgements regarding the sex and gender of a set of point light walkers, then to complete the Precarious Manhood Beliefs Scale (PMBS). They also provided self-ratings on masculinity and femininity. Results: Repeated measures analysis of variance supported previous patterns of responding. Targets required stronger male cues to be judged masculine than male but stronger female cues to be judged female than feminine. There was no correlation between PMBS scores and judgments. However, self-rated masculinity was significantly associated with observers’ PMBS scores: observers who rated their own masculinity as higher also reported increased agreement with Precarious Manhood Beliefs. Conclusions: When observers were given the option to respond neither male nor female, walkers were consistently judged male more often than masculine and female less often than feminine regardless of PMBS scores. Although not related to judgements, precarious manhood beliefs were significantly related to self-rated masculinity.
Details
- Title
- Show us your manhood! Precarious perceptions of men and masculinity
- Creators
- Jessica GilliesDesirée KozlowskiProvost Stephen
- Publication Details
- Frontiers in public health
- Conference
- Southern Cross University 13th Annual Honours Psychology Research Conference (Coffs Harbour, 07/10/2016)
- Identifiers
- 991013261009402368
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Health; Human Sciences
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Conference presentation