NYC Gazette

A recent study by a team of psychology researchers has shown that adolescent boys may respond aggressively when they perceive their masculinity to be under threat, particularly in environments with rigid, stereotypical gender norms. The findings, published in the journal Developmental Science, highlight the social pressures many boys face to conform to stereotypical masculine behaviors.

“We know that not all men respond aggressively to manhood threats—in past work, we have found that it is primarily men whose stereotypical masculinity is socially pressured who are the most aggressive under such threats,” said Adam Stanaland, a postdoctoral researcher at New York University and the lead author of the paper. “Now we have evidence that certain adolescent boys respond similarly, pointing to the foundations of these potentially harmful processes.”

Stanaland added, “Beyond just aggression, manhood threats are associated with a wide variety of negative, antisocial behaviors, such as sexism, homophobia, political bigotry, and even anti-environmentalism. Our findings call for actively challenging the restrictive norms and social pressure that boys face to be stereotypically masculine, particularly during puberty and coming from their parents and peers.”

The research indicates that perceived threats to men’s “gender typicality”—the alignment of appearance and behaviors with societal expectations—can lead to harmful behaviors aimed at reasserting this typicality. The study aimed to understand how this phenomenon develops and the social environments where it occurs.

Stanaland led an experiment involving more than 200 adolescent boys in the US and one of their parents. Boys reported whether their motivation to be masculine was internally driven or influenced by others' approval or disapproval. They then participated in a game answering questions stereotypical of both masculinity and femininity. At random, they were told their score was either atypical (a threat) or typical (non-threatening) for their gender.

To measure aggression, participants completed a cognitive task involving word stems (e.g., “GU_”) that could be finished either aggressively (“GUN”) or non-aggressively (“GUY” or “GUT”). The proportion of aggressive completions was used as an indicator.

The study also considered demographic variables and responses on the Pubertal Development Scale. Participants were asked about changes such as voice deepening and facial hair growth.

Environmental sources pressuring boys towards gender-typical behavior were also examined. Boys reported on peer, parental, and self-imposed pressures; parents shared their beliefs on gender roles.

The results indicated:

- Adolescent boys in mid-to-late puberty responded with aggression to perceived threats to their gender typicality.

- Aggression was heightened among boys motivated by external social pressures rather than internal desires.

- Boys most likely experiencing "pressured motivation" had parents endorsing stereotypical beliefs about men's status and power.

“Men’s aggression presents challenges for societies across the world,” noted Andrei Cimpian, professor in NYU’s Department of Psychology and senior author of the paper. “By identifying when and why certain boys begin showing aggressive responses to masculinity threats, this research is a first step in preventing the development of ‘fragile’ masculinities—and their many negative consequences among adult men.”

Other authors included Sarah Gaither and Anna Gassman-Pines from Duke University and Daniela Galvez-Cepeda from NYU’s Cognitive Development Lab. The research received funding from the Charles Lafitte Foundation.

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