Deviating From Agentic Norms is Negatively Related to Young Men’s Well-Being and Satisfaction With Life

IF 3.7 2区社会学 Q2 PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL

Sex Roles Pub Date : 2025-12-06 DOI:10.1007/s11199-025-01624-z

Kine Bjørneby Olsen, Marte Olsen, Elizabeth J. Parks-Stamm, Kjærsti Thorsteinsen, Natasza Kosakowska-Berezecka, Artur Sawicki, Göksu Celikkol, Jurand Sobiecki, Tomasz Besta, Sarah E. Martiny

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

As deviating from ingroup norms can have negative consequences, we predicted that failing to meet perceived masculine norms would be associated with lower well-being and satisfaction with life for young men. We chose two countries that differed in the rigidity of gender norms (i.e., Norway and Poland) and conducted two cross-sectional, cross-national studies to test these hypotheses: an exploratory pilot study (Study 1) and a main study with preregistered hypotheses (Study 2). In Study 1, 238 young men (aged 16–25), 82 from Norway ( M age = 20.8 years, SD = 2.7) and 156 from Poland ( M age = 20.8, SD = 2.0), completed an online questionnaire about perceived gender norms and self-ratings of agentic and communal traits, well-being, and satisfaction with life. In Study 2, teenage boys (aged 16–19) in their 1st and 2nd year of high school participated (213 Norwegian boys: M age = 17.0, SD = 0.3; 507 Polish boys: M age = 16.4, SD = 0.6). The more the young men negatively deviated from the perceived masculine norms within their society, the lower their well-being and satisfaction with life, regardless of nationality. The negative relationship between norm deviation and well-being remained significant when controlling for self-ratings in agency. Our findings suggest that helping young men navigate masculinity more flexibly, by addressing the psychological toll of not meeting agentic norms and promoting acceptance of a broader range of traits, could support their well-being and guide effective interventions for educators and policymakers.

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偏离行为规范与青年男性幸福感和生活满意度负相关

由于偏离群体内规范会产生负面后果，我们预测，不符合男性化规范会降低年轻男性的幸福感和生活满意度。我们选择了两个性别规范刚性不同的国家（即挪威和波兰），并进行了两项横断面、跨国研究来检验这些假设：一项探索性试点研究（研究1）和一项预先登记假设的主要研究（研究2）。在研究1中，238名年轻男性（16-25岁），其中82名来自挪威（M年龄= 20.8岁，SD = 2.7）， 156名来自波兰（M年龄= 20.8岁，SD = 2.0），完成了一份关于感知性别规范和自我评价的在线问卷，问卷内容涉及代理和社区特征、幸福感和生活满意度。在研究2中，16-19岁的高中一、二年级男生（213名挪威男生：M年龄= 17.0,SD = 0.3； 507名波兰男生：M年龄= 16.4,SD = 0.6）参与。无论国籍如何，年轻男性越消极地偏离社会中公认的男性规范，他们的幸福感和生活满意度就越低。在控制代理自我评价的情况下，规范偏差与幸福感之间的负向关系仍然显著。我们的研究结果表明，通过解决不符合机构规范的心理代价和促进对更广泛特征的接受，帮助年轻男性更灵活地驾驭男子气概，可以支持他们的福祉，并为教育工作者和政策制定者提供有效的干预指导。

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来源期刊

Sex Roles Multiple-

CiteScore

7.20

自引率

5.30%

发文量

期刊介绍： Sex Roles: A Journal of Research is a global, multidisciplinary, scholarly, social and behavioral science journal with a feminist perspective. It publishes original research reports as well as original theoretical papers and conceptual review articles that explore how gender organizes people’s lives and their surrounding worlds, including gender identities, belief systems, representations, interactions, relations, organizations, institutions, and statuses. The range of topics covered is broad and dynamic, including but not limited to the study of gendered attitudes, stereotyping, and sexism; gendered contexts, culture, and power; the intersections of gender with race, class, sexual orientation, age, and other statuses and identities; body image; violence; gender (including masculinities) and feminist identities; human sexuality; communication studies; work and organizations; gendered development across the life span or life course; mental, physical, and reproductive health and health care; sports; interpersonal relationships and attraction; activism and social change; economic, political, and legal inequities; and methodological challenges and innovations in doing gender research.