Lam, C. B., & Lefkowitz, E. S. (2016). Male role attitudes and self-esteem: A 3-year longitudinal study of heterosexual college students. Emerging Adulthood, 4, 427-435.
Research on masculinity provides useful perspectives for understanding individual development. Two approaches or studying masculinity are a trait approach (the degree to which an individual has characteristics that are considered masculine), and a normative approach (the degree to which an individual agrees that men should have these characteristics). Prior longitudinal research has examined the development and correlates of masculinity personality traits. However, most work on male role attitudes has used cross-sectional data on White men. In this study, we examined developmental patterns of male role attitudes on four occasions over a 3-year period in an ethnically and racially diverse sample. Models revealed that, although men’s male role attitudes became more traditional in the first 2 years of college and then more flexible toward the end, women’s male role attitudes did not change over time.
Research on masculinity provides useful perspectives for understanding individual development. Two approaches or studying masculinity are a trait approach (the degree to which an individual has characteristics that are considered masculine), and a normative approach (the degree to which an individual agrees that men should have these characteristics). Prior longitudinal research has examined the development and correlates of masculinity personality traits. However, most work on male role attitudes has used cross-sectional data on White men. In this study, we examined developmental patterns of male role attitudes on four occasions over a 3-year period in an ethnically and racially diverse sample. Models revealed that, although men’s male role attitudes became more traditional in the first 2 years of college and then more flexible toward the end, women’s male role attitudes did not change over time.
Within-person variation in male role attitudes was negatively linked to men’s, but not women’s, within-person variation in self-esteem. That is, men felt more positively about themselves during semesters when they endorsed more traditional attitudes about male roles. Overall, finding suggest that men may focus on gender typicality early in the transition to adulthood, but that as they gain more romantic experiences in college, they may become more flexible.
“Trajectories of Gender Role Attitudes and Self-esteem first appeared on Eva Lefkowitz’s blog on June 19, 2018.”
“Trajectories of Gender Role Attitudes and Self-esteem first appeared on Eva Lefkowitz’s blog on June 19, 2018.”
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