Smile Pretty and Watch Your Back: Personal Safety Anxiety and Vigilance in Objectification Theory

Objectification Theory posits that everyday encounters with sexual objectification carry a diffuse nonspecific sense of threat that engenders personal safety anxiety in women. In this article, we provide direct evidence for this tenet across 5 studies and 1,665 participants using multiple methods. Study 1 (N=207) and Study 2 (N= 161) explored and confirmed the factor structure of the Personal Safety Anxiety and Vigilance Scale (PSAVS), a measure of personal safety anxiety, and provided evidence for the reliability and construct validity of its scores. Study 3 (N=363) showed that personal safety anxiety is a conceptually different construct for women and men, and differentially mediated the relation between sexual objectification and restricted freedom of movement and the relation between self-objectification and restricted freedom of movement for women and men. Study 4 (N=460) included a comprehensive test of personal safety anxiety within an expanded Objectification Theory model, which supported personal safety anxiety as a mediator of the links from sexual and self-objectification to women’s restricted freedom of movement. Study 5 (N=474) replicated these results while also adjusting for specific fears of crime and rape. Our findings offer a newly validated assessment tool for future research on safety anxiety, illuminate the real and lasting sense of threat engendered by everyday sexual objectification, and broaden understanding of the mental and physical constraints on women’s lived experiences posited in Objectification Theory

Open Science, Closed Doors

Over the last decade, scholars have called for a paradigm shift toward transparent and open scholarship. The resulting collection of practices conducted in accordance with this objective is typically referred to as "open science." The push for open science has benefitted the field in innumerable ways, from enhancing clarity in the research process to improving the accessibility of scholarship, and open science is regarded as so important that some journals award badges for its use. However, several practices within open science are not consistent with certain epistemological frameworks, and there are not yet guidelines for conducting certain types of research (e.g., qualitative research, arts-based research, work with vulnerable populations) within an open science framework. Further, running parallel to the movement for open science has been an uptick in aggression and bullying, usually of early career researchers, women, people of color, and individuals who sit at the intersections of these and other vulnerable identities within academia. In this talk, I review the challenges and opportunities that open science poses for the field of psychology, and provide suggestions for creating an open science movement that is inclusive and safe for all

“It’s an ongoing process”: A qualitative analysis of men's feminist identity growth

Feminist identity is a powerful predictor of engagement in gender-based activism. Men's feminist identification is complicated by the uniquely gendered stereotypes attributed to feminist men, which are antithetical to traditional masculine gender role norms. While there is a substantial body of literature surrounding the feminist identity development process in cisgender women, research exploring men’s feminist identity development is scant. This study aimed to develop a more comprehensive understanding of men’s feminist identity development in the context of masculine gender role norms. Twenty-seven cisgender, feminist-identified men (Mage = 33.08, SD = 8.42) recruited via social media were interviewed for the study. Through reflexive thematic analysis, the authors extracted five themes from the data: Diverse Feminist Foundations, Turning Points, Evaluation and (Un)Learning, Taking Action, and Feedback. The men described a feminist identity growth process that was complex and ongoing, catalyzed by various moments of dissonance and clarity throughout their lives. They articulated their negotiation of traditional masculinity, embracing the parts that supported their growth and rejecting aspects that were inconsistent with their feminist principles. Men also shared their unique and creative ways of practicing and promoting feminism as well as the feedback they received for doing so. We conclude with suggestions for men who wish to support gender equality and the feminist women who wish to support men's feminist identity growth

Men in Feminism: A Self-Determination Perspective and Goals for the Future

Men can make important contributions to gender equality, but a variety of obstacles impede their engagement with feminism. In this paper, we propose a Self-Determination (Ryan & Deci, 2000) approach to supporting men’s feminist engagement. We argue that men are more likely to engage with feminism more consistently and effectively if they internalize feminist goals and incorporate them into their sense of self, i.e., if they develop autonomous motivation. We argue, further, that men are more likely to develop autonomous motivation if their engagement with feminism satisfies basic psychological needs for autonomy, relatedness, and competence. We suggest a variety of strategies to meet these needs, among them: framing feminism as a men’s issue, considering men’s viewpoints and values, portraying feminism as consistent with gender and masculine norms, encouraging positive interactions with feminist women, and presenting other feminist men as role models and mentors. According to bell hooks (1984), “...sexism and sexist oppression, they can only be successfully eradicated if men are compelled to assume responsibility for transforming their consciousness and the consciousness of society as a whole” (p. 81). Our paper applies Self-Determination Theory (Ryan & Deci, 2000) to encourage men to do so

Workshop—Increasing Researcher Transparency and Reflection Through Positionality Statements: Lessons From Qualitative Research

Positionality statements are an excellent way at improving the transparency and reflexivity of any qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods project. In this workshop, learn about how unchecked and biased assumptions have led us astray as a field, why and how people use positionality statements, who positionality statements are for, and how to use them to increase the transparency and rigor of your own work. Participants will be able to begin drafting one for a project of their choosing through guided activities, and are encouraged to use these processes to examine the tools we use, questions we ask, and how we interpret our results