Self-esteem In Men Research Articles

Attribution of Feminine and Masculine Traits to Opposite-Sex Dyads

Descriptions of achieving female and male dyads in different relationships were presented to subjects and rated using masculine and feminine stereotypic traits. The relationship between the dyads varied in level of involvement—no relationship between them, acquainted, dating and married. Both the male and female stimulus-persons were rated more masculine when they were successful than when they were unsuccessful. Attributions of masculine traits to the “out-of-role,” achieving, female stimulus-person were made on the basis of internal factors, whereas attributions to the “in-role” achieving, male stimulus-person were made on the basis of both internal and external factors. In ratings made by men, the woman's achievement level affected the man's masculinity and self-esteem when the couple was dating—they attributed lower masculinity and lower self-esteem to the male stimulus-person when the woman was a success than when she was a failure. A nonstereotypic description of the couple, in which the woman was first and the man second, increased the masculinity and decreased the femininity attributed to both of them.

Correlates of a Healthy Attitude toward Loving

Dietch (1978) has published an inventory to measure the degree to which a person's attitude toward love is healthy in the sense used by humanistic psychologists like Abraham Maslow and Erich Fromm.' The present studies were designed to explore correlates of healthy attitude toward love in students aged 18 to 22 yr. (1) Twenty-six women and 18 men (M.,. = 20.0, SD = 1.0) were given the Dietch attitude toward love scale and the Eysenck Personality Inventory (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1963) to measure extraversion and neuroticism. A healthy atitude toward love was associated with neuroticism scores but only for the few who reported that they were presently in love. Students with a healthier attitude to love had lower neuroticism scores (Pearson r = -0.64, one-tailed p < 0.01).3 (2) A new sample of 25 women and 25 men (M,,. = 20.4, SD = 1.1) were given the Survey of Values (Rokeach, 1973) and a measure of self-esteem (Rosenbaum, 1966) .' Scores on the measure of healthy love were not associated with the ranking of mature love on the Survey of Values (r = 0.14), but a healthier attitude to love was associated with higher self-esteem for men (r = 0.37, one-tailed p < 0.05).3 (3) A new sample of 38 men and 37 women (M.,. = 19.3, SD = 1.4) were given a measure of a romantic attitude toward love (Knox & Sporakowski, 1968) and a measure of the degree to which Maslow's five basic needs were being fulfilled (Lester, et al., 1983).a A healthy attitude toward love was not associated with having a romantic (versus a rational) attitude toward love (r = -0.13). However, those having a healthier attitude toward love had higher levels of need fulfillment: physiological needs (r = 0.28), safety needs (r = 0.32), belonging needs (7 = 0.45), esteem needs (r = 0.21), and self-actualization needs (r = 0.21) for those 65 who had been in love in their lives.'

Character style of the defensively high self-esteem man

Studied the personality correlates and psychodynamics of defensively high self-esteem, defined as a conscious, exaggerated satisfaction with the self used defensively to avoid an unconscious or less conscious lower self-regard. The hypothesis tested is that among defensively high self-esteem men in the nonpathological range of psychological functioning, the ambitiousnarcissistic/hysteriform character style is the modal character type. Forty male college students volunteered as Ss. They were divided into four groups, based upon clinicians' consensus ratings of defensiveness of self-esteem and level of self-regard. Measures of various aspects of character style—prominent thought and fantasy thema, characteristic defenses, and proneness to shame affect—were analyzed by multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results were consistent with the hypothesis for measures of thought and fantasy thema. In conjunction with quantitative data, clinical interpretation of projective test responses and interaction styles was used to suggest some differences between men who exhibited defensively high self-esteem and those who showed nondefensively high self-regard.

Sex Roles and Intimacy in Same Sex and Other Sex Relationships

In a survey of sex roles and intimacy in ongoing, close relationships it was hypothesized that the androgynous would have higher intimacy scores. The androgynous and sex-typed persons did not differ from each other but both were higher on intimacy than the undifferentiated. The only sex role independently related to intimacy was femininity. Based on the patterns of intimacy scores found for different types of relationships, sex-role stereotyping was implicated in the intimacy levels of women and men. The significant role of men's self-esteem in male-female relationships requires further investigation as do the contextual manipulations through which intimates may reduce the negative impact of sex-role stereotyping.

Interpersonal Looking as a Function of Status, Self-Esteem, and Sex

The incidence of looking at peers and at a figure in authority was recorded in unisex dyads of 20 men and 22 women. Differential looking at the authority (female experimenter) vs looking at peers was a positive function of self-esteem for men but not for women. These results do not support the notion that looking connotes a lack of self-esteem, while confirming other sex differences previously reported.

Sex differences in the perception of touching.

Sex differences in the perception of touching were investigated by having 25 male and 25 female college students rate how likeable a touch would be under different conditions. The women produced a more favorable affect than the men when they touched, and women were perceived as liking to be touched more than men. Perception of touching in general was correlated positively with Self-esteem for men, negatively with Machiavellianism for women, and positively with Trust for women. Results were discussed in terms of traditional sex-typing of touching behavior.

Self-Esteem in Men and Women Alcoholics

Comparison of the self-esteem of men and women alcoholics showed no significant differences between the two groups.

Psychiatric Treatment for Alopecia Totalis

To Editor:— In QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (200:188, 1967) Dr. Howard T. Behrman presented a comprehensive answer to question on medical (also advising psychiatric investigation) of alopecia totalis, concluding that the most effective therapeutic modality at this time consists in employment of a suitable transformation (ie, a wig). Because alopecia totalis occurs most often in men, this treatment is not entirely effective since loss of eyelashes and eyebrows present additional problems, particularly to people who work and must function in business and social world. Also embarrassment concerning lack of axillary, pubic, and chest hairs diminishes a man's selfesteem as a masculine figure. Early and thorough psychiatric by a trained psychiatrist is very much in order since most recalcitrant cases are triggered and perpetuated by emotional causes. There often is a history of preceding episodes of alopecia areata ( also of emotional

THE STRUCTURE OF THE UNIVERSE

THE earliest astronomy was geocentric, the earth J. being supposed to be the centre of the whole universe. This view was not based on astronomical evidence, but had its roots in man's self-esteem, in his want of imagination and in the meagreness of his scientific knowledge. It met its end in the arguments of Copernicus and in the observations of Galileo.