Sexist Humor and Sexual Aggression Against Women: When Sexist Men Act According to Their Own Values or Social Pressures

2019 ◽  
pp. 088626051988851 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica Romero-Sánchez ◽  
Jesús L. Megías ◽  
Hugo Carretero-Dios
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Free Choice ◽  
External Pressure ◽  
Attitudes Toward Women ◽  
Hostile Sexism ◽  
Sexually Aggressive ◽  
Intentional Behavior ◽  
Sexist Humor ◽  
Rape Proclivity ◽  
And Control

Exposure to sexist humor creates a context in which some men feel comfortable expressing aggressive tendencies toward women (i.e., self-reported rape proclivity). This is in part because this type of humor makes it easier for men who have antagonistic attitudes toward women to express their prejudice without fear of social reprisal. Besides, previous research has demonstrated the influence of motivational variables such as autonomy (initiation or regulation of intentional behavior based on free choice) and control (acting under external pressure) on aggression. We conducted two experiments to explore the hypothetical influence of priming autonomy and control motivations on the relation between sexist humor and the expression of sexually aggressive tendencies toward women. Study 1 ( N = 108) revealed that control-primed men with high (vs. low) scores in hostile sexism reported a higher rape proclivity when exposed to sexist (vs. neutral) humor. These results were partially replicated in Study 2 ( N = 132), assessing the accessibility of aggressive sexual thoughts. This research contributes to our understanding of the influence of sexist humor and motivational orientations in sexist men on the expression of aggressive sexual behaviors directed against women.

Sexist Humor and Rape Proclivity: The Moderating Role of Joke Teller Gender and Severity of Sexual Assault

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (8) ◽  
pp. 951-972 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mónica Romero-Sánchez ◽  
Hugo Carretero-Dios ◽  
Jesús L. Megías ◽  
Miguel Moya ◽  
Thomas E. Ford
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Physical Violence ◽  
Hostile Sexism ◽  
Sexist Humor ◽  
Rape Proclivity ◽  
High Level ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Moderating Role

Three experiments examined the effect of sexist humor on men’s self-reported rape proclivity (RP). Pilot study demonstrated that people differentiate the five rape scenarios of Bohner et al.’s. RP Scale based on the degree of physical violence perpetrated against the victim. Experiment 1 demonstrated that men higher in hostile sexism report greater RP upon exposure to sexist jokes when a woman (vs. a man) delivers them, and that this effect is limited to rape scenarios depicting a moderate versus a high level of physical violence. Experiment 2 further demonstrated that the relationship between hostile sexism and rape proclivity in response to a moderately violent rape scenario after exposure to sexist humor generalizes beyond women in the immediate humor context to women as a whole.

Do sexist jokes increase rape proclivity among males high in hostile sexism? Evidence from two pre-registered direct replications of Thomae & Viki (2013)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil McLatchie ◽  
Manuela Thomae
Keyword(s):  
Bayes Factor ◽  
Alternative Hypothesis ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Original Study ◽  
Bayes Factors ◽  
Hostile Sexism ◽  
Replication Studies ◽  
Open Research ◽  
Rape Proclivity

Thomae and Viki (2013) reported that increased exposure to sexist humour can increase rape proclivity among males, specifically those who score high on measures of Hostile Sexism. Here we report two pre-registered direct replications (N = 530) of Study 2 from Thomae and Viki (2013) and assess replicability via (i) statistical significance, (ii) Bayes factors, (iii) the small-telescope approach, and (iv) an internal meta-analysis across the original and replication studies. The original results were not supported by any of the approaches. Combining the original study and the replications yielded moderate evidence in support of the null over the alternative hypothesis with a Bayes factor of B = 0.13. In light of the combined evidence, we encourage researchers to exercise caution before claiming that brief exposure to sexist humour increases male’s proclivity towards rape, until further pre-registered and open research demonstrates the effect is reliably reproducible.

Testing a Mediational Model of Sexually Aggressive Behavior in Nonincarcerated Perpetrators

1998 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 117-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paige C. Ouimette ◽  
David Riggs
Keyword(s):  
Aggressive Behavior ◽  
Home Environment ◽  
Sex Role ◽  
Attitudes Toward Women ◽  
Childhood Experiences ◽  
Psychological Model ◽  
Sexually Aggressive ◽  
Women And Relationships ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Delinquent Peers

This study examined a psychological model of male sexually aggressive behavior toward women. Forty-seven men who reported completing or attempting acts that legally represent rape in most states and 56 nonviolent men completed measures assessing early home environment, attitudes regarding women and relationships, impulsive behaviors, and peers’ characteristics. As predicted, sexually aggressive behavior was associated with exposure to negative childhood experiences with fathers. These experiences included reports of emotionally distant, uncaring fathers and witnessing father-perpetrated domestic violence. The relationship between poorer fathering and sexually aggressive behavior was partially mediated by impulse control problems as a young adult. Although having delinquent peers and endorsements of hostile attitudes toward women and rigid sex-role beliefs, predicted perpetration, contrary to expectations, neither mediated the relationship between poorer fathering and perpetration.

Experience of Freedom to Choose in Mental Health, Neurosis and Psychosis

1965 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 957-962
Author(s):  
John Baumgold ◽  
Maurice K. Temerlin ◽  
Robert Ragland
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Free Choice ◽  
Subjective Experience ◽  
Active Agent ◽  
Semantic Differential ◽  
Operational Definition ◽  
The Self ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
And Control

To test the theory that the subjective experience of free choice varies with the integrity of the personality as a whole, concepts implying either fate or the self as the determinant of behavior, and control concepts neutral with respect to causation, were evaluated on the Semantic Differential by neurotic, psychotic, and normal Ss ( Ns = 20). Psychotics consistently evaluated fate concepts as the most meaningful and potent determinants of behavior, while normals and neurotics typically described the self as the active agent in behavior. No differences were found between normals and neurotics, perhaps because there is no operational definition of mental health.

Benevolent Sexism and Hostile Sexism Across the Ages

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 863-874 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew D. Hammond ◽  
Petar Milojev ◽  
Yanshu Huang ◽  
Chris G. Sibley
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Ambivalent Sexism ◽  
Benevolent Sexism ◽  
Attitudes Toward Women ◽  
Hostile Sexism ◽  
Linear Trajectory ◽  
Sexist Attitudes ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Over Time

Ambivalent sexism theory states that prejudice toward women comprises two interrelated ideologies. Endorsement of hostile sexism—aggressive and competitive attitudes toward women—is linked with endorsement of benevolent sexism—paternalistic and patronizing attitudes toward women. We conduct the first systematic tests of how endorsement of sexism differs across age and across time, using six waves of a nationally representative panel sample of New Zealand adults ( N = 10,398). Results indicated U-shaped trajectories for men’s endorsement of hostile sexism, women’s hostile sexism, and women’s benevolent sexism across the life span. However, over time, endorsement of these sexist attitudes tended to decrease for most ages. In contrast, men’s benevolent sexism followed a positive linear trajectory across age and tended not to change over time. These results provide novel evidence of how ambivalent sexism differs across age and highlight that benevolent sexism is particularly tenacious.

Ambivalent Sexism and the Dumb Blonde: Men's and Women's Reactions to Sexist Jokes

2002 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-350 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dara Greenwood ◽  
Linda M. Isbell
Keyword(s):  
Ambivalent Sexism ◽  
Benevolent Sexism ◽  
Hostile Sexism ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Sexist Humor ◽  
The Relationship

This article examines the relationship between gender, hostile sexism, benevolent sexism and reactions to a seemingly innocuous genre of sexist humor, the dumb blonde joke. After hearing an audiotaped conversation in which two students swapped dumb blonde jokes, participants high in hostile sexism rated the jokes as more amusing and less offensive than those low in hostile sexism. Among individuals low in hostile sexism, however, benevolent sexism interacted with gender. Specifically, men high in benevolent sexism found the jokes significantly more amusing and less offensive than either women in the same group or men low in both hostile and benevolent sexism. This study replicates and extends previous research examining the relationship between hostile sexism and the enjoyment of sexist humor, and underscores the possibility that benevolent sexism may represent qualitatively distinct attitudes for men and women.

What’s in a Tweet? Gender and sexism moderate reactions to antifat sexist humor on Twitter

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 265-290
Author(s):  
Dara Greenwood ◽  
Richa Gautam
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Benevolent Sexism ◽  
Hostile Sexism ◽  
Workplace Harassment ◽  
Disparagement Humor ◽  
Female Target ◽  
Sexist Humor ◽  
Antifat Attitudes

AbstractThe present study investigated whether antifat sexist humor (compared to antifat sexist statements or control statements), conveyed via Tweets, would impact perceptions of an overweight female target depicted in a workplace harassment scenario. We examined whether gender, antifat attitudes, and sexism would impact joke perceptions and moderate perceptions of the joke-relevant target. Participants (n = 451) were drawn from MTurk and completed the study online. They were randomly exposed to one of three tweet conditions and then read and responded to the harassment vignette, among filler vignettes, before completing sexism and antifat measures. Antifat attitudes unexpectedly shifted as a function of study prime and were thus not considered as a moderator. Results showed that men high in hostile sexism reported a greater likelihood of retweeting/favoriting antifat sexist jokes than men low on hostile sexism or women high in hostile sexism. Individuals high in hostile sexism in the joke condition found the behavior of the target less appropriate, and the behavior of the ostensible perpetrator more appropriate, than those in the control condition and those low on hostile sexism. Similar findings were obtained for benevolent sexism. Findings underscore the power of social media as a vehicle for disparagement humor and its consequences.

scholarly journals Transcription Factor Gene Pea3 Regulates Erectile Function in Mice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarret AP Weinrich ◽  
Aanchal Tyagi ◽  
Richard DiCasoli ◽  
Megan C Kenney ◽  
Julia A Kaltschmidt
Keyword(s):  
Transcription Factor ◽  
High Resolution ◽  
Sexual Behaviors ◽  
Erectile Function ◽  
High Speed ◽  
Social Behaviors ◽  
Male Mice ◽  
Transcription Factor Gene ◽  
Factor Gene ◽  
And Control

Background: Male mice with homozygous loss of function mutations of the ETS transcription factor gene Pea3 (Pea3 null) are infertile due to their inability to deposit semen plugs, however the specific deficits in male sexual behaviors that drive this phenotype are unknown. Aim: To investigate the regulatory role of the Pea3 gene in organizing gross sexual behaviors and erectile functioning during active copulation. Methods: The copulatory behavior of male mice (Pea3 null and control) with hormonally primed ovariectomized females was monitored via high-speed and high-resolution digital videography to assess for differences in female-directed social behaviors, gross sexual behaviors (mounting, thrusting), and erectile and ejaculatory function. Outcomes: Pea3 null male mice have dramatically reduced erectile function during sexual intercourse, however other aspects of male sexual behaviors are largely intact. Results: Pea3 null male mice exhibit greatly reduced erectile function, with 44% of males displaying no visible erections during mounting behaviors, and none achieving sustained erections. As such, Pea3 null males are incapable of intromission, and semen plug deposition, despite displaying largely normal female-directed social behaviors, mounting behaviors, and ejaculatory grasping behavior. Additionally, the coordination of the timing of thrusting trains is impaired in Pea3 null males. Clinical Implications: The identification of the transcription factor Pea3 in regulating erectile function in mice may provide a useful target for understanding the genetics of male sexual dysfunction in human patients. Strengths and Limitations: High-speed and high-resolution videography allows for a detailed analysis of male sexual behaviors and erectile functioning in Pea3 null and control mice. How disruption of the Pea3 gene translates to erectile dysfunction is still unknown. Conclusion: The transcription factor gene Pea3 regulates the ability to achieve and maintain erections in male mice.

A Psychologically-Based Taxonomy of Magicians’ Forcing Techniques

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice PAILHES ◽  
gustav kuhn ◽  
Ronald Rensink
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Free Choice ◽  
Sense Of Agency ◽  
Illusion Of Control ◽  
Psychological Mechanisms ◽  
External Influences ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
And Control

Magicians have developed a wide range of techniques to influence and control spectators’ choices of such things as card, word, or number. These techniques are what is called forcing. The present paper develops a psychologically-based taxonomy of forcing techniques with two goals in mind. Firstly, it should help uncover the different psychological mechanisms that underlie forcing techniques. Secondly, it should facilitate knowledge transfer between magicians and psychologists. The main division present two basic categories that can be used as a way of focussing separately on (1) decision-making processes and external influences on choices, and (2) links between sense of agency over action and outcome as well as the illusion of control over this outcome. This taxonomy allows us to clearly differentiate between forces in which there is or is not a free choice, and whether this choice has an impact on the following events.

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