Hostile Masculinity and Emotional Negativity as Pathways to Hostility Toward Women

Hostility toward women is frequently examined as a risk factor for sexual or physical aggression against women, but it is also associated with other violent offenses. However, despite its relevance, research on the etiology of this misogynistic attitude is lacking. Thus, the aim of our study is to explore the effect of developmental and psychological factors on hostility toward women and cognitive distortions associated with it. Partially inspired by Malamuth’s (1996) confluence model of sexual aggression, we will investigate the mediating role of “hostile masculinity” (i.e., personality characteristics associated with callousness and antisociality) and “emotional negativity” (i.e., depressive and anxious emotional experiences) in a multifactorial model of hostility toward women. We tested our etiological model on a Canadian sample of sexual aggressors of women (n=200), using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results indicated the presence of several pathways from childhood victimization leading to hostility toward women through hostile masculinity and emotional negativity. Findings will be discussed along with their theoretical implications. unknown unknown