Male discrepancy stress: what is it and how does it affect men?

Male discrepancy stress leads some men to lash out and feel attacked.

A number of research studies have been conducted on gender roles, the results of which suggest that men who strongly adhere to traditional male gender norms are more likely to commit violent acts toward their partners. toward their partners.

However, this hypothesis is not the only explanatory cause of intimate partner violence, as other variables may play a role. On the other hand, male discrepancy stress was investigated because the research found that men who do not conform to masculine roles may also be at risk for intimate partner violence.

It should be noted that the results of research on the relationship between male discrepancy stress and a series of violent behaviors aimed at demonstrating masculinity cannot be extrapolated to the general population because more studies are needed to demonstrate this correlation.

Therefore, in this article we will explain what this correlation consists of, in this article, we will explain what male discrepancy stress consists of and what have been the results of the investigations carried out on the matter.

What is male discrepancy stress?

Male discrepancy stress is a form of prolonged suffering experienced by some men when they do not meet traditional expectations regarding the male gender, having to demonstrate attributes such as dominance, toughness or strength, among others. As a result, they may suffer psychological distress and this, in turn, may precipitate them to engage in sexually and physically violent behaviors in order to demonstrate their own masculinity.

As we will see below, the relationship between male discrepancy stress and acts of intimate partner violence or violence in other contexts that have been found in the research discussed in this article are not conclusive nor do they have a large enough sample size to be representative of the general population.

However, it is important to keep in mind this concept known as male discrepancy stress and the negative psychological repercussions it has for those who suffer from it, as well as for those around them, since the objective of this research is to provide more information, both to other researchers and to the general population, regarding this topic.

Research on male discrepancy stress In a study carried out by Dennis E. Reidy and his collaborators on male discrepancy stress, in which 600 men between the ages of 18 and 50 participated, they had to complete questionnaires regarding the subject to be investigated.

In one of the questionnaires they had to answer questions on a Likert scale, from 1 (disagree) to 7 (strongly disagree); all the questions were related to the traditional male gender roles in society, and these questions are 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 see me as less attractive because I am not as macho as other men.

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

Thus, it has been found that men who suffer from what is known as masculine discrepancy stress, perceiving themselves as less than the average man, may come to interpret some ambiguous interactions as a risk factor for physical, psychological and sexual aggression, may come to interpret some ambiguous interactions as challenges to their own masculinity.. This could trigger them to engage in responses aimed at demonstrating or reaffirming their masculinity status. On the other hand, it was found that there was a higher correlation between masculine discrepancy stress and intimate partner violence among younger people.

Male Discrepancy Stress in Adolescents

A study was conducted on male discrepancy stress involving 589 adolescent males in Wayne County, Michigan, USA. They completed a survey assessing gender role discrepancy, male discrepancy stress, and a history of both physical and sexual intimate partner violence.

A regression analysis found that children who reported gender discrepancy and associated male discrepancy stress, in general, were at higher risk of becoming victims of intimate partner violence, were at a higher risk of future involvement in violence..

The study findings explained that male discrepancy stress in the adolescents who participated in the study could make them more likely to engage in violent behaviors against women as a means of demonstrating their masculinity to themselves or others and also to disprove possible threats against their masculinity by their partners.

As with studies done with adults, it should be noted that this study is not extrapolable to the general adolescent population, as there are more factors that influence whether a person commits violent actions.

However, it is also important to keep in mind this study on male discrepancy stress in the adolescent population in order to identify possible risk and protective factors, as well as to raise awareness in the general population about the importance of people learning to respect their partners from adolescence onwards.

It is also essential to raise awareness among the population that masculinity, like femininity, is much more complex than the fact of possessing or not possessing 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 such superficial characteristics, when a person does not conform to social canons regarding gender roles, that is when problems arise, such as male discrepancy stress.

Male discrepancy stress and emotional distress.

In a study of college males, it was found that male discrepancy stress could trigger behavioral hyper-stereotypy and a range of mental health conditions, causing emotional distress. In this study, the experiences of 5 male university students who reported male discrepancy stress were analyzed in order to investigate their perceptions of male discrepancy, as well as the associated emotional distress and the effects this had on their behavior.

The results of the study showed that self-criticism on the part of the subjects evaluated together with negative comments about their masculinity received from other people caused them emotional discomfort.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.

The study concluded that the stress of masculine discrepancy and the self-perception of the males who participated in the study, makes them prone to perform risky behaviors in order to show greater masculinity and the feeling of not being able to perform behaviors that have traditionally been associated in society with masculinity causes them emotional discomfort.

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

Research findings on male discrepancy stress.

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

Other studies found that men experiencing high levels of masculine discrepancy stress reported feeling insecure about their masculine role. insecure about their masculine roleThey may engage in a range of behaviors in order to demonstrate and match their perceived masculinity to that of other men. They may even feel that these perceived threats to their masculinity further increase their insecurity not only in their intimate relationships, but also in any other area related to interpersonal relationships.

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

It should be borne in mind that the results of research that has found a relationship between suffering from masculine discrepancy stress and committing aggressive behaviors, including intimate partner violence, in order to demonstrate that masculinity itself is in line with traditional canons regarding masculinity in society, do not have sufficient empirical support to be extrapolated to the general population, as more studies and larger samples are needed to demonstrate that this hypothesis is conclusive.

It should also be taken into account that the self-report questionnaires used in the investigations might not reflect too accurately the behavior of the respondents in real life, which is also true for the prevalence rates found.

Nevertheless, it is intended to conduct longitudinal studies about the prediction of gender violence based on men suffering from masculine discrepancy stress, among other factors that could be related, such as gender role socialization or the onset of intimate partner violence in adolescence.

Although this study has some limitations, it is important to take it into consideration and be aware that many men suffer psychological distress because they feel that their masculinity is called into question, suffering from male discrepancy stress. It is also crucial to take into account the relationship of this discrepancy with intimate partner violence, because it can serve as a basis for future research in the field of gender violence and the predictive variables that are related to these deplorable behaviors.