Access Type
Open Access Dissertation
Date of Award
January 2023
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Antonia Abbey
Abstract
Social Norms Theory (SNT) proposes that many individuals engage in problematic behaviors because they want to be accepted by their peers and incorrectly believe that most of their peers engage in those behaviors. SNT has frequently been used to explain men’s sexual aggression perpetration; however, the findings are mixed. I proposed that social norms influence the likelihood of sexual aggression only when individuals are motivated to be positively evaluated by others. Two studies utilize the sexual imposition paradigm, a “victim present” experimental proxy for sexual aggression in which men were given the opportunity to send sexually explicit material to a fabricated, unwilling woman. In Study 1, a sample of 98 men completed an online experiment that tested the hypothesized interaction of fear of negative social evaluation (FNE) and social norms on men’s likelihood to make the woman watch sexually explicit material. Men who had higher levels of FNE and viewed misogynistic norms were no more likely to send the woman the sexually explicit clip and make her watch it for longer than the other experimental groups. Study 2 built on Study 1 by replacing FNE with a manipulation of the social motivation to avoid rejection via the Social Media Ostracism Paradigm in which participants were either rejected or included by a group of fabricated masculine peers. A sample of 177 men completed an online experiment with a 2 (rejection versus inclusion) x 2 (misogynistic norm versus egalitarian norm) design to test the hypothesized interaction between motivation and social goals on men’s likelihood to send the sexually explicit clip to the unwilling woman. Men who were rejected and viewed misogynistic norms were no more likely to send the woman the sexually explicit clip not make her watch it for an extended period time than the other experimental groups. Alternative motivations must be explored to uncover the underlying factors in the association between social norms and behavior. Further validation of the sexual imposition paradigm as a proxy for men’s sexual aggression is needed.
Recommended Citation
Mcdaniel, Mollie Colleen, "The Influence Of Motivation On Men’s Perceptions Of Peer Social Norms And Sexual Aggression Behavior In An Experimental Proxy" (2023). Wayne State University Dissertations. 3804.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_dissertations/3804