Psychology of Men and Masculinity

Conformity to masculine norms and preferences for therapy or executive coaching.
The current study examined the relationship between men’s conformity to male norms and attitudes, preferences, and stigma toward seeking help from an executive coach or psychologist. Two-hundred-nine working adult men were assigned to a condition (therapy or executive coaching) and listened to a brief session between a client and practitioner. Overall, men had similar and relatively positive help-seeking attitudes for therapy and executive coaching. However, men with higher conformity to masculine norms had higher stigma toward seeking help and viewed traditional therapy as less favorable. Implications of the study, as well as limitations and directions for future research, are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
Masculine norms, avoidant coping, Asian values, and depression among Asian American men.
Contrary to the “model minority” myth, growing research indicates that the rates of mental health problems among Asian Americans may be higher than was initially assumed. This study seeks to add to the scant knowledge regarding the mental health of Asian American men by examining the role of masculine norms, coping, and cultural values in predicting depression among this population (N = 149). Results reveal that Asian American men who used avoidant coping strategies and endorsed the masculine norm Dominance reported higher levels of depressive symptoms. In contrast, endorsing Winning masculine norms was associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. Findings suggest that adherence to masculine norms and avoidant coping strategies play a salient role in the mental health of Asian American men. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
Evaluation of the factor structure and construct validity of scores on the Male Role Norms Inventory—Revised (MRNI-R).
This article reports the results of an evaluation of the factor structure, reliability, and construct validity of the Male Role Norms Inventory—Revised (MRNI–R). Results of a principal-axis factor analysis with 593 undergraduate participants (341 men, 251 women, 1 other) support the hypothesized factor dimensionality and, to a lesser extent, item placement. Evidence was found for internal consistency of the MRNI–R total score and the seven factor scores. Analyses of the men’s scores provided evidence for convergent validity through a significant correlation of the MRNI–R with the Male Role Attitudes Scale; for divergent validity, through the nonsignificant correlation with the Personal Attributes Questionnaire; and for concurrent validity, through the significant correlations with the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory, the Gender Role Conflict Scale, and the Normative Male Alexithymia Scale. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
Masculine norms as correlates of heterosexual men’s attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women.
The author examined masculine ideology correlates of men’s attitudes toward gay men (ATG) and attitudes toward lesbian women (ATL) in a sample of heterosexual male undergraduates (N = 104). Hypotheses about the relative contributions of specific masculine norms to ATG and ATL were tested with hierarchical regression analyses. As predicted, overall conformity to traditional masculine norms was related more strongly to men’s ATG than ATL and accounted for variance in ATG beyond that related to religious ideology. Also as predicted, higher conformity to the masculine norms of Power Over Women and Disdain for Homosexuals was associated with unfavorable ATG, whereas conformity to the masculine norm of Playboy was associated with favorable ATL but was unrelated to ATG. Unexpected findings were that Power Over Women was unrelated to ATL, and that Disdain for Homosexuals was related to ATL as strongly as it was to ATG. Implications of these similarities and differences are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
The role of emotion dysregulation in the association between men’s restrictive emotionality and use of physical aggression.
To test the mediating effect of emotional dysregulation on the association between men’s restrictive emotionality and the use of aggression toward another, 128 undergraduate men were asked to complete a Response Choice Aggression Paradigm (RCAP), a competitive reaction time task in which participants were given the choice to shock or refrain from shocking an ostensible opponent. Aggression was measured as the average intensity of shocks delivered by the participant throughout the task, restrictive emotionality was measured using a subscale of the Gender Role Conflict Scale (O’Neil, Helms, Gable, David, & Wrightman, 1986), and emotional dysregulation was measured by the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz & Roemer, 2004). Findings from a structural equation model showed that emotional dysregulation does mediate the association between restrictive emotionality and aggression. Specifically, this relationship appeared to be largely driven by a lack of acceptance and inability to tolerate emotional experiences, rather than by overall inability to regulate internal experiences. Conceptual and clinical implications for addressing men’s aggressive behavior are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)
Impact of collective gender identity on relationship quality: When men feel devalued.
Although heterosexual men typically hold positions of dominance in society, negative aspects of masculinity could lead some men to feel that their gender group is not valued by others (D. A. Prentice & E. Carranza, 2002). Previous research has largely overlooked the impact of men’s own perceptions of their gender group membership on their relationship outcomes. To address this gap, we posited that when heterosexual men feel that their gender identity is devalued, they may relate better to close others who have devalued identities (e.g., their female romantic partners). Specifically, we predicted that heterosexual men who view their masculine gender identity as important but devalued would more successfully take the perspective of their female partner. Results confirmed predictions, such that for undergraduate men whose gender identity was important, lower levels of perceived group value predicted greater ability to take perspective with their romantic partners. Implications for men’s relationships and identity research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2009 APA, all rights reserved)

Psychology of Men & Masculinity - Vol 11, Iss 1