The role of objectification in young men's perpetration of intimate partner violence

Theorists have argued that objectification is implicated in men's violence against women. Growing correlational and experimental evidence supports this claim. However, little research has studied the link between objectification and violence perpetrated by intimate partners. Three studies exami...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PloS one 2024-11, Vol.19 (11), p.e0313016
Main Authors: Sáenz, Adriana Vargas, Haslam, Nick
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aggression
Aggression - psychology
Aggressive behavior
Animals
Behavior
Couples
Dehumanization
Domestic violence
Emotional abuse
Family violence
Female
Females
Gender-based violence
Heterosexuality
Humans
Interpersonal Relations
Intimate partner violence
Intimate Partner Violence - psychology
Male
Manipulation
Men
Objectification
Personal appearance
Personality
Prevention
Romantic relationships
Sex crimes
Sexism
Sexism - psychology
Sexual Partners - psychology
Violence
Violence against women
Women
Young Adult
Young men
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Summary:Theorists have argued that objectification is implicated in men's violence against women. Growing correlational and experimental evidence supports this claim. However, little research has studied the link between objectification and violence perpetrated by intimate partners. Three studies examined this link in relation to several forms of violent behavior. Study 1 (N = 215) found that men who implicitly associated women with objects were more likely to perpetrate sexual and physical violence against their female romantic partner, independent of their levels of hostile sexism. Study 2 (N = 325) replicated this finding but examined automatic associations with men's intimate partners rather than women as a class. Greater implicit objectification was again associated with self-reported physical violence and with a behavioral proxy measure of aggression among participants who responded most strongly to an experimental provocation. Study 3 (N = 192) manipulated objectification by inducing a physical appearance-focus mindset and found that the manipulation increased men's tendency to respond violently toward their partner. By implication, objectification appears to play a significant role in facilitating men's violence in romantic relationships.
ISSN:1932-6203
1932-6203
DOI:10.1371/journal.pone.0313016