Male discrepancy stress: what it is and how it affects men

Several investigations have been carried out on gender roles, the results of which suggest that men who adhere strongly to traditional norms regarding the masculine gender are more likely to commit violent acts towards their partners.

However, this hypothesis is not the only explanatory cause of partner violence, since there are other variables that can influence. On the other hand, male discrepancy stress was investigated because the research found that men who do not conform to masculine roles could also be at risk of carrying out gender violence. partner.

It should be noted that the results of research on the relationship between stress due to male discrepancy and a series of violent behaviors in order to demonstrate masculinity itself cannot be extrapolated to the general population because more studies would be needed to demonstrate this correlation.

Thus, In this article we will explain what male discrepancy stress consists of. and what have been the results of the investigations carried out in this regard.

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What is male discrepancy stress?

Male discrepancy stress is a form of prolonged suffering that some men experience when they fail to comply with traditional expectations regarding the masculine gender, having to demonstrate attributes such as dominance, toughness or strength, among others. For this reason, they can suffer psychological anguish in a way and this in turn could precipitate that they reach carrying out sexually and physically violent behaviors with the aim of wanting to demonstrate their own masculinity.

As we will see later, the relationship between stress due to male discrepancy and acts of violence in couples or in other contexts that have been found in the The investigations that are going to be discussed in this article are not conclusive nor do they have a large enough sample to be representative within the population. general.

However, it is important to keep in mind this concept known as male discrepancy stress and the negative repercussions at a psychological level that it has for those who suffer it, as well as for those who surround; since the objective of these investigations is to provide more information, both to other researchers and to the general population, information regarding this topic.

Research on male discrepancy stress. In a study by Dennis E. Reidy and his colleagues on male discrepancy stress, involving 600 men aged between the ages of 18 and 50, in which they had to complete some questionnaires regarding the topic to be investigate.

In one of the questionnaires they had to answer some questions on a Likert scale, from 1 (disagree) to 7 (totally disagree); all questions being related to traditional male gender roles in society, these questions being listed below:

• I am less masculine than the average man.
• Compared to my friends I am not very masculine.
• Most women I know tell me that I am not as masculine as most men.
• I worry that others will judge me because I am not like the typical man.
• Sometimes I worry about my masculinity.
• I worry that women will find me less attractive because I'm not as macho as other men.

The study initially sought to investigate and identify whether male discrepancy stress is a risk factor for carrying out physical, psychological and sexual aggression by heterosexual men against women, concluding that this association was true.

Therefore, it has been found that men who suffer from what is known as male discrepancy stress, perceiving themselves as less than the average man, they may come to interpret some ambiguous interactions as challenges to their own masculinity. This could even trigger them to carry out responses in order to demonstrate or reaffirm their masculinity status. On the other hand, it was found that there was a higher correlation between male discrepancy stress and intimate partner violence among younger people.

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Male discrepancy stress in adolescents

A study of male discrepancy stress was conducted in 589 adolescent males from Wayne County, Michigan, USA. In this study, they completed a survey that evaluated the discrepancy due to gender roles, the male discrepancy stress and a history of intimate partner violence, both physical and sexual.

Through a regression analysis, it was found that boys who had claimed to have a gender discrepancy and associated male discrepancy stress, in general, were at greater risk of becoming involved in future acts of violence.

The study conclusions explained that male discrepancy stress in the adolescents who participated in the study could make them more likely to carry out behaviors of violence against women as a means of proving their masculinity to themselves or others and also to deny possible threats against their masculinity by their partners.

As with studies done with adults, it must be taken into account that this study cannot be extrapolated for the general adolescent population, since there are more factors that influence a person to commit actions violent.

However, it is important to also bear in mind this study on stress due to male discrepancy in the adolescent population in order to identify possible risk and protection factors, as well as raising awareness in the general population about the importance of people learning from adolescence to respect their couples.

It is also essential to make the population aware that masculinity, like femininity, is much more complex than the fact of possessing or not a series of characteristics traditionally associated with each gender. For example, in the case of masculinity, which has typically been associated with strength, dominance, or toughness, BUT if we stick only to possessing those characteristics so superficial, when a person does not conform to social canons regarding gender roles, that is when problems arise, such as discrepancy stress masculine.

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Male discrepancy stress and emotional upset

In a study conducted with university men, it was found that stress due to male discrepancy could trigger a hyperstereotyping of behavior and a series of mental health conditions, causing emotional distress. In this study, the experiences of 5 university men who reported stress due to male discrepancy were analyzed in order to investigate their perceptions about this discrepancy, as well as the associated emotional distress and the effects this had on their behaviour.

The results of the study showed that self-criticism by the subjects evaluated together with negative comments about their masculinity received from other people caused them emotional distress, changing also highlight feelings of sadness, fear and anger.

The study concluded that the stress due to male discrepancy and the self-perception of the men who participated in the study makes them prone to engage in risky behaviors with the in order to show greater masculinity and the feeling of not being able to carry out behaviors that have traditionally been associated with masculinity in society causes them discomfort emotional.

As with the other studies that have been mentioned, it should be noted that they cannot be extrapolated to the general population.

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Research Findings on Male Discrepancy Stress

Mosher and Sirkin found in their research that in cases of men suffering from male discrepancy stress it was common for them to use aggression in any situation in which they felt a threat or challenge towards their own masculinity. Among all the forms of aggression, it was found that physical violence was one of the most common and prominent methods that these men carried out in order to show that they were equally masculine or even more than the average man.

Other studies have found that men experiencing high levels of male discrepancy stress reported feeling insecure about their masculine role, so they can carry out a series of behaviors in order to demonstrate and match the perception of their masculinity to that of other men. They may even have those perceived threats to their masculinity that further increase their insecurity. not only in the field of their intimate relationships, but in any other field related to relationships interpersonal.

The findings of these investigations should be interpreted with great caution because the effect sizes for the predictor variables individually were small, so the factors that are suggested that could contribute to the violence by men against their female intimate partners are not entirely clear, as is the case with stress due to male discrepancy.

It must be borne in mind that the results of research that have found a relationship between suffering from stress due to male discrepancy and committing aggressive behaviors, among which partner violence is found, in order to demonstrate that masculinity itself is in accordance with the traditional canons regarding masculinity in society, they do not have sufficient empirical support to be able to be extrapolated to the general population, since more studies and with larger samples are needed to demonstrate that this hypothesis is conclusive.

It should also be noted that the self-report questionnaires used in the research may not accurately reflect too precisely the behavior of the respondents in real life, which also happens with the prevalence rates found.

Nevertheless, Longitudinal studies will be carried out about the prediction of gender violence based on the fact that the man suffers from stress due to male discrepancy, among other factors that could be related, such as the socialization of gender roles or the beginning of intimate partner violence in the adolescence.

Although this study has some limitations, it is important to take it into consideration and be aware that many men suffer from psychological discomfort due to feeling that their masculinity is being questioned, suffering from the aforementioned discrepancy stress masculine. It is also crucial to take into account the relationship of this discrepancy with intimate partner violence, since it can serve as a basis for future research in the field of gender violence and the predictive variables that are related to these behaviors deplorable.