Precarious Manhood and Displays of Physical Aggression

The results of three experiments demonstrate that physically aggressive displays are part of men\u27s cultural script for restoring threatened gender status. In Studies 1 and 2, challenges to men\u27s gender status elicited heightened physically aggressive displays, including punching a pad with greater force and selecting an aggressive boxing activity over a nonaggressive puzzle activity. Study 3 established that a public display of aggressive readiness reduced men\u27s anxiety-related cognitions in the wake of a gender threat. This suggests that aggressive displays may function to downregulate negative affect when manhood has been threatened. The discussion considers past research on gender and physical aggression in light of the authors\u27 thesis that manhood, relative to womanhood, is culturally defined as a precarious status that must be actively, even aggressively, defended