title: Precarious manhood.
abstract: The authors report 5 studies that demonstrate that manhood, in contrast to womanhood, is seen as a precarious state requiring continual social proof and validation. Because of this precariousness, they argue that men feel especially threatened by challenges to their masculinity. Certain male-typed behaviors, such as physical aggression, may result from this anxiety. Studies 1-3 document a robust belief in (a) the precarious nature of manhood relative to womanhood and (b) the idea that manhood is defined more by social proof than by biological markers. Study 4 demonstrates that when the precarious nature of manhood is made salient through feedback indicating gender-atypical performance, men experience heightened feelings of threat, whereas similar negative gender feedback has no effect on women. Study 5 suggests that threatening manhood (but not womanhood) activates physically aggressive thoughts.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620-7200, USA. vandello@cas.usf.edu
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Vandello
authors.forename: Jennifer K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Bosson
authors.forename: Dov
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Rochelle M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Burnaford
authors.forename: Jonathan R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Weaver
mesh_terms: D000339:Affect; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012933:Social Identification; D055815:Young Adult