Murray State University
Under Pressure, Pushing Down on Men: Precarious Manhood and Male Role Norms Influence Men's Self-Esteem to be More Unstable
Grade Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Psychology
Minor
Gender & Diversity Studies
Institution 23-24
Murray State University
KY House District #
1
KY Senate District #
1
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Amanda W. Joyce, PhD; Tracey A. Garcia McCue, PhD
Department
Psychology
Abstract
Introduction: Precarious manhood examines the social mediation of masculinity, in which cultural ideals of male gender roles are internalized and require continuous validation from others (Vandello et al., 2008). This context-dependent masculinity affects a potentially unstable self-image based on adherence to interpersonally-driven gendered expectations. Internalized male roles have previously predicted feelings of threat, physically aggressive thoughts, and homonegativity (Vandello et al., 2008; Kroeper et al., 2013). This investigation inquires how precarious manhood and male role norms collectively relate to self-esteem instability, as this may reflect a fluctuating self-image found antecedently. It is hypothesized that precarious manhood and male role norms will predict higher levels of self-esteem instability.
Procedure: Sixty-one predominantly white (85.2%), freshman (50.8%) college students (Mage = 19.13, SD = 1.12) completed a battery of surveys regarding their traditional views on men’s masculinity through Precarious Manhood (Vandello et al., 2008), Male Role Norms Inventory (Levant et al., 2013) and Self-Esteem Stability (Kernis, 2005) during both 2023 semesters.
Results: A linear regression analysis examined the extent to which self-esteem stability could be predicted by both measures of masculinity. Precarious manhood encompassed the first step, followed by male role norms in the second step. A significant regression correlation was found [F(8, 50) = 4.227], p < .001; R2 = .403.
Conclusions: These results imply that adherence to socio-cultural male gender roles account for an impressive 40% of variance in stability of self-esteem. Overall, the study’s findings supported the hypotheses in which both precarious manhood and male role norms conjointly predict instability in self-esteem. This could indicate that the pressures of social norms for men negatively impact how they perceive themselves, potentially harming their mental health, thus underscoring the importance of social support and mental health resources. Conclusions and their implications will be discussed in further detail during the presentation.
Under Pressure, Pushing Down on Men: Precarious Manhood and Male Role Norms Influence Men's Self-Esteem to be More Unstable
Introduction: Precarious manhood examines the social mediation of masculinity, in which cultural ideals of male gender roles are internalized and require continuous validation from others (Vandello et al., 2008). This context-dependent masculinity affects a potentially unstable self-image based on adherence to interpersonally-driven gendered expectations. Internalized male roles have previously predicted feelings of threat, physically aggressive thoughts, and homonegativity (Vandello et al., 2008; Kroeper et al., 2013). This investigation inquires how precarious manhood and male role norms collectively relate to self-esteem instability, as this may reflect a fluctuating self-image found antecedently. It is hypothesized that precarious manhood and male role norms will predict higher levels of self-esteem instability.
Procedure: Sixty-one predominantly white (85.2%), freshman (50.8%) college students (Mage = 19.13, SD = 1.12) completed a battery of surveys regarding their traditional views on men’s masculinity through Precarious Manhood (Vandello et al., 2008), Male Role Norms Inventory (Levant et al., 2013) and Self-Esteem Stability (Kernis, 2005) during both 2023 semesters.
Results: A linear regression analysis examined the extent to which self-esteem stability could be predicted by both measures of masculinity. Precarious manhood encompassed the first step, followed by male role norms in the second step. A significant regression correlation was found [F(8, 50) = 4.227], p < .001; R2 = .403.
Conclusions: These results imply that adherence to socio-cultural male gender roles account for an impressive 40% of variance in stability of self-esteem. Overall, the study’s findings supported the hypotheses in which both precarious manhood and male role norms conjointly predict instability in self-esteem. This could indicate that the pressures of social norms for men negatively impact how they perceive themselves, potentially harming their mental health, thus underscoring the importance of social support and mental health resources. Conclusions and their implications will be discussed in further detail during the presentation.