title: Getting along or ahead: Effects of gender identity threat on communal and agentic self-presentations.
abstract: When faced with a threat to gender identity, people may try to restore their gender status by acting in a more gender-typical manner. The present research investigated effects of gender identity threat on self-presentations of agentic and communal traits in a Swedish and an Argentine sample (N = 242). Under threat (vs. affirmation), Swedish women deemphasized agentic traits (d [95% CI] = -0.41 [-0.93, 0.11]), Argentine women increased their emphasis on communal traits (d = 0.44 [-0.08, 0.97]), and Argentine men increased their emphasis on agentic traits (d = 0.49 [-0.03, 1.01]). However, Swedish men did not appear to be affected by the threat regarding agentic (d = 0.04 [-0.47, 0.55]) or communal traits (d = 0.23 [-0.29, 0.74]). The findings are to be considered tentative. Implications for identity threat research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.affiliation: Linnaeus University, Växjö, Sweden.
authors.forename: Rickard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.affiliation: Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Fredrik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Björklund
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001118:Argentina; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D012649:Self Concept; D012737:Sex Factors; D012938:Social Perception; D013548:Sweden; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Identity threat; agency; communion; gender differences; self-presentation; self-stereotyping