title: Maintaining distinctions under threat: heterosexual men endorse the biological theory of sexuality when equality is the norm.
abstract: According to social identity theory, group members sometimes react to threats to their group's distinctiveness by asserting the distinctiveness of their group. In four studies (n = 261) we tested the hypothesis that heterosexual men with a greater propensity to be threatened by homosexuality would react to egalitarian norms by endorsing biological theories of sexuality. Heterosexual men, but not women, with narrow prototypes of their gender in-group endorsed biological theories the most (Study 1). Heterosexual men with higher gender self-esteem, with heterosexist attitudes, who endorsed traditional gender roles, and with narrow prototypes of their gender in-group, endorsed the biological theories more when egalitarian norms rather than anti-egalitarian norms (Studies 2 and 3) or pro-minority ideologies that emphasized group differences (Study 4) were made salient. These findings show group-level reactive distinctiveness among members of a high-status group in a context of threat to the unique privileges that they once enjoyed.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Falomir-Pichastor
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hegarty
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006126:Group Processes; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008571:Men / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012933:Social Identification; D013557:Switzerland; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Social identity theory; essentialism; heterosexism; masculinity; prejudice