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Masculine traits and reports of social functioning: Evidence for a positivity bias

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Abstract

Previous reviews have concluded that there is a significant positive relation between masculine traits and measures of adjustment, including social adjustment. It is suggested that this relation be viewed with caution because it is based on studies that have relied on only one type of personality data—self-reports of one's own behavior, feelings, and personality characteristics. The recent study by Aube et al. (1994) suggests that the inclusion of other kinds of data, such as peer reports or behavioral observation, may yield different results. Two experiments (participants were predominately white) were conducted to examine the relation of self-reported masculine traits to subjective vs. objective indicators of social functioning. Study 1 found that masculine traits were significantly positively associated with self-reported popularity of teenagers, but that these same traits were unrelated to sociometric ratings made by classmates. Study 2 found that masculine traits were significantly associated with reporting better social-expressive skills among college students, but that these traits were unrelated to actual performance on a test of nonverbal encoding skills. Both studies found significant relations between masculine traits and discrepancy scores calculated between the subjective and objective indicators of social functioning. Together, these studies suggest that the relation between masculine traits and better adjustment may be more perceived than real.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, McGill University, 1205. Dr. Penfield Avenue, H3A 1B1, Montreal, PQ, Canada

    Jennifer Aube, Richard Koestner & Judy-Anne Craig

  2. Skidmore College, USA

    Holley Hodgins

Authors
  1. Jennifer Aube
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  2. Richard Koestner
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  3. Holley Hodgins
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  4. Judy-Anne Craig
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Additional information

We would like to thank Dr. Henry J. Peris, Mrs. Doreen DeCamp, Mrs. Janice Hodgins Spiotta, and the entire staff of the Wheatland-Chili Central School District for their assistance in the data collection for Study I. Ed Deci also provided invaluable assistance for which we are grateful in the coordination of Study 1. We would like to thank Buono Enterprises for the donation of Big Macs, french fries, and soft drinks. We would also like to thank Neil Duncan for his help in conducting Study 2.

We would like to thank John Lydon, Morton Mendelson, Debbie Moskowitz, Don Taylor, David Zuroff, and the other members of the McGill Social-Personality Lunch Group for their comments on an earlier presentation of these findings.

This research was funded by grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada and the Fonds pour la Formation de Chercheurs et l'Aide a la Recherche (FCAR-Quebec) to Richard Koestner. Support was also provided by a McGill Faculty Grant to Richard Koestner. Jennifer Aube was supported by a Graduate Fellowship from the SSHRC.

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Aube, J., Koestner, R., Hodgins, H. et al. Masculine traits and reports of social functioning: Evidence for a positivity bias. Sex Roles 31, 621–636 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01544284

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