More often than not men behind violent acts are perceived to be of the masculine type. However, a survey of 600 men in the US has revealed that men who consider themselves to be less masculine and are worried about others’ perception of them also resorted to violence.
By contrast, men who considered themselves to be less masculine than the average but weren’t bothered by it, were the least likely to act violently or engage in other dangerous behaviour, such as drunk driving. In the survey men were asked to respond to statements that indicated how worried they were about this — such as “I wish I was more manly” and “I worry that women find me less attractive because I’m not as macho as other guys”.
They were also asked to give information on whether they had ever been in a fight, assaulted someone, used a weapon or intentionally caused serious injury. The findings published in Injury Prevention indicate that insecurity could also be a factor underlying aggressive or dangerous acts. Referring to the results, the researchers at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention said that violence control efforts should focus on how ‘gender norms may induce distress in boys and men’ that could lead them to ‘act out’ with risk-taking or violence.
