Threatening a man’s manhood—but not a woman’s womanhood—elicits aggression. In two studies, we found evidence that this aggression is related to the social pressure men experience to “be a man.” In Study 1a, we conducted an exploratory factor analysis to isolate participants’ (N = 195; M_age = 19.92) differential motivations for conforming to gender norms. Study 1b then showed that pressure to be masculine moderates the relationship between gender identity threat and aggressive cognition for men. In Study 2a, we conducted a confirmatory factor analysis to validate the aforementioned scales with an age-diverse sample of men (N = 391; M_age = 33.16, range = 18–56 years). Study 2b replicated Study 1b, most notably with younger men. In all, these findings reveal one pathway—the pressure men experience to be stereotypically masculine—that elicits aggressive cognition when under threat in a U.S. context.

威胁男人的男子气概——而不是女人的女人味——会引起侵略。在两项研究中，我们发现有证据表明，这种攻击行为与男性要“成为一个男人”所承受的社会压力有关。在研究 1a 中，我们进行了探索性因素分析，以隔离参与者（N = 195；M_年龄= 19.92）遵守性别规范的不同动机。研究 1b 随后表明，男性化的压力会缓和男性的性别认同威胁与攻击性认知之间的关系。在研究图2a，我们进行了验证性因子分析的男性（年龄分集样品，以验证上述鳞片Ñ = 391;中号_年龄= 33.16，范围 = 18–56 岁）。研究 2b 重复了研究 1b，尤其是对年轻男性。总之，这些发现揭示了一种途径——男性在刻板印象中承受的压力——在美国环境中受到威胁时会引发攻击性认知。