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The Effect of Sexual Objectification on Dishonesty
Kai-Tak Poon1, Hill-Son Lai2, Rheal S W Chan2
1Department of Psychology and Centre for Psychosocial Health, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong, China. ktpoon@eduhk.hk.
Archives of Sexual Behavior
|February 28, 2023
Summary
Sexual objectification increases women's dishonest behavior by fostering feelings of relative deprivation and reducing self-regulation. This research sheds light on the psychological mechanisms behind these behavioral responses.
Area of Science:
- Social Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Women frequently encounter sexual objectification in daily life, including public staring and online harassment.
- While research shows objectification impacts psychological and cognitive outcomes, behavioral reactions remain understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if sexual objectification elevates dishonesty in women.
- To identify the psychological mechanisms, specifically relative deprivation and self-regulation, underlying this effect.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted with 150 and 279 participants, respectively.
- Participants exposed to sexual objectification were compared to a control group on measures of dishonesty.
Main Results:
- Women experiencing sexual objectification exhibited significantly higher dishonest tendencies in both experiments.
- Relative deprivation and self-regulation serially mediated the relationship between sexual objectification and dishonesty in Experiment 2.
Conclusions:
- Sexual objectification can lead to increased dishonesty among women.
- Relative deprivation and diminished self-regulation are key psychological factors explaining how objectification drives dishonest and antisocial behaviors.
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