Masculine ideology, personality functioning, & men's internal representations of self and other
Item
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Title
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Masculine ideology, personality functioning, & men's internal representations of self and other
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Identifier
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d_2009_2013:d75f7c48578c:12062
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identifier
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12615
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Creator
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Royal, Jason Michael,
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Contributor
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Steven Tuber
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Date
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2013
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Clinical psychology | Gender studies | Behavioral psychology | cognitive closure | gender role identity | masculine ideology | masculinity | psychological mindedness | psychology of masculinity
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Abstract
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This study investigated whether men with differing levels of masculine ideology, i.e., differing degrees of conformity to traditional masculine norms, would also differ on degree of psychological mindedness and other variables of personality functioning. This study's sample included 87 participants (N = 87), all of whom were male undergraduates at a major urban college and at least 18 years old. Correlational analyses were performed using data for several measures, including the Conformity to Masculine Norms Inventory (which assesses masculine ideology across 11 domains), the Balanced Inventory of Psychological Mindedness, the Need for Closure Scale, and the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. Qualitative analyses were also performed using projective (TAT) data from 11 participants (N = 11), combined with self-report data on personality functioning. This study found that specific domains of masculine ideology, related to avoidance of emotional expression, intimacy, and interdependence, correlated negatively and significantly with psychological mindedness. In addition, several domains of masculine ideology correlated significantly with the need for cognitive closure. However, the direction of these correlations was not uniform. Need for closure (relative intolerance of ambiguity) correlated positively with men's desire to appear unambiguously heterosexual and with men's interest in being viewed as high status. In contrast, men who were more attracted to risk and less averse to violent confrontation reported less need for cognitive closure (i.e., a greater tolerance of ambiguity). These findings suggest that differences in masculine ideology may well index differences in personality functioning, including psychological mindedness and tolerance of ambiguity. However, these findings also suggest that personality functioning may vary significantly between domains of masculine ideology. The global construct of masculine ideology may therefore be too broad to meaningfully capture salient inter-individual differences in personality functioning. Indeed, qualitative findings of this study suggest that the meaning of masculine identity serves varying functions within the self-concept of individual men. Such differences are likely crucial when using the construct of masculine ideology, for example, to inform clinical intervention. Future research should investigate temperamental, developmental, and socio-cultural determinants of specific domains of masculine ideology, especially in relation to psychological distress and resilience.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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2009_2013.csv
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
