What Concerns Men? Women or other Men by Fischer and Mosquera (2001) Susie Boersma Jannaee Brummell Luis Mendez

Intra-sexual competition Men must compete with other men in order to have access to women Theory explains why men are more aggressive Problem with this explanation –What explains cultural variation in anger and aggressiveness in men and women –What explains aggression against other women and children

Hypothesis Authors hypothesize that there are other male concerns that are more important in the elicitation of anger and aggression –Maintaining respect –Maintaining social status –Intra-sexual competition is not the major cause of aggressiveness

Research on sex differences in anger and aggression Many situations evoke anger in men and women with similar intensity. The difference in men and women can be seen in the way they express anger. –Men are more physically aggressive –Women are more verbally aggressive Ultimately, these studies demonstrate that women and men are equally likely to be angry, thus express aggression

Emotions Theory of emotions suggests that people get emotional when their concerns are affected (Fridja, 1986) –Physiological and psychological –Food, shelter and self-esteem

Emotions cont. Similarities between sexes in anger and aggression Studies on anger –Unfair treatment, injustice, betrayal Studies on aggression –Physical harm, being insulted, loss of social status Major reason for men’s and women’s anger and aggression are highly similar

Differences in concerns Differences in anger and aggression exist because men and women have different concerns, and therefore interpret the events differently –Research shows that women value the quality of intimate relationships –Women report more anger after betrayal, negligence –Research shows that men value social status –self esteem and self worth is measured by male peer groups

Male Self Esteem Studies show that men have higher self esteem than women. – need for control –control implies respect from others –Respect from others leads to male higher self esteem because men appraise their self esteem through their social status Men are easily provoked and offended (Campbell, 1993) –Intellectual inferiority

Cultural Characteristics Honour Societies vs Non-Honour societies Honour societies are concerned with maintaining masculine identity and social status –Studies show that men commit more homicides, and are more involved in issues dealing with aggression –Sexual shame- purity of women –Sexual shame protects family honour –Sexual shame not directed to restrict access to ones women, but rather to define boundaries of the ingroup and secure loyalties.

Gem Study GEM refers to the extent women are powerful in a particular country e.g. women in administration, parliament, professionals

Gem study cont. Study shows that anger and GEM scores correlate Women feel more justified to express aggression and anger when they are in power Although anger remains the same for men, the differences in women suggest that power and status makes aggression more feasible.

Conclusion Men are not concern with whether they can attract the attention of women, but rather on whether they will be respected by there fellow men. Men and women are equally aggressive if appraisals and concerns are equal, which suggests that aggression is controlled by social influences

CRITICAL REVIEW The present study takes into account changes in human civilization However, we need more empirical evidence