Aggression, avoidance, shame and narcissism in fragile masculinity

The overwhelming representation of males in physically aggressive acts and violent crime suggests that masculinity contributes to the gender discrepancy. Fragile masculinity, a term denoting the cultural mandate and the individual’s perception that manhood is precarious, has been posited as particularly meaningful in understanding the etiology of aggression and relational avoidance in men. Empirical work suggests that there is a link among these constructs (Vandello, 2013), but the literature has not fully explored variables that may inform or impact these connections. Based on psychodynamic theories of narcissism, shame and aggression, this study aimed to empirically test their impact. Mediation and moderation analyses were conducted to better understand the role of fragile masculinity, narcissism, and shame in contributing to enactments of aggression and avoidance of relationships, and they proved to be significant. In a random sample (n = 302) of males in the United States, strong evidence demonstrated a mediating effect of narcissism, including grandiose and vulnerable narcissism as well as entitlement rage, between fragile masculinity, and trait aggression, state aggression, as well as relational avoidance. A bootstrapping procedure confirmed the significance of mediation effects. Further, half of the male participants (n = 153) listened to a shame inducing audio scenario, and the other half (n = 149) listened to a neutral scenario to determine if those who are currently experiencing state shame would endorse higher state aggression. State shame moderated the association between entitlement rage and state aggression. Results suggest that the combination of fragile masculinity with narcissism and state shame is critical to consider in prevention and treatment of aggression and relational avoidance

Understanding family dynamics in a cross-cultural sample: a multi-national study

The Family Systems Circumplex Model posits that balanced levels of cohesion and adaptability are associated with positive familial outcomes, whereas extremely high or low levels of these factors are associated with deleterious outcomes. Despite the popularity and utility of this model in Western cultures, there is a dearth of empirical data supporting its use in more culturally diverse contexts. The current, preregistered study assessed the Family Circumplex Model, cultural factors, and emerging adult outcomes across seven countries (i.e., China, Iran, Nigeria, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States). Participants were N = 3,593 emerging adults, mostly self-identifying as women (71.3%). Collaborators were participants in Psi Chi’s Network for International Collaborative Exchange (NICE) and administered measures related to family dynamics and cultural orientation to participants in a random order. Results indicated that the Family Circumplex Model did not fit cross-culturally. As such, a new model was adapted, the Expanded Circumplex Model, which demonstrated invariance across samples and between women and men. The Expanded Circumplex Model retained 6 constructs with differences regarding the separation of disengagement into 2 variables and the combining of adaptive flexibility and cohesion. The current study suggests that the cultural context in which family dynamics occur should be taken into consideration when conceptualizing family dynamics theory and measurement. Future work should seek to replicate and further apply the Expanded Circumplex Model to familial outcomes