Citation

Towson SMJ, Zanna MP. Sex Roles 1982; 8(8): 903-914.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1982, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/BF00287859

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The present study explored the notion that frustration in situations congruent with traditional sex roles will elicit higher levels of aggression from both women and men than will frustration in sex-role incongruent situations. In a 2×2 design, female and male undergraduates read a "feminine" or "masculine" vignette describing an individual prevented by a classmate from practicing for an examination in dance or body-building exercises. Subjects in gender-congruent conditions perceived the examination as more important and advocated more aggressive responses than did subjects in gender-incongruent conditions. Males were significantly more aggressive than females only in the masculine situation; in the feminine situation, this difference was reduced or eliminated. The implications of these results for the interpretation of apparent sex differences in aggression are discussed.