Effects of feedback on emotion in hypermasculine males

Sexual aggression is a common problem on college campuses. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a personality construct, "hypermasculinity," and anger on sexual aggression. One hundred and thirty-seven males completed hypermasculinity, anger, and past sexual aggression measures. The subjects who scored in the upper and lower thirds on the hypermasculinity measure were then randomly assigned to guided imagery conditions in which they received negative, neutral, or positive feedback from a woman. Analysis indicated that hypermasculine men who receive negative feedback responded with more anger and less empathy than nonhypermasculine men. In addition, those who scored high on both anger and hypermasculinity measures were most likely to self-report that they had engaged in sexually aggressive acts. The results are discussed in terms of hypermasculine men's increased risk of sexually aggressive behavior.