Individual Differences in Masculine Honor Beliefs and Men’s Perceptions of Insults Targeting Their Masculinity

"Slurs against masculinity" are insults that directly target a man's traditional, heterosexual masculinity. Research has shown that men perceive these insults to be particularly offensive and likely to provoke physically aggressive responses (Saucier et al., 2015). We conducted two studies online with adult male participants (Study 1 <i>N</i> = 144 (84% White, <i>mean age</i> = 29.71, SD = 8.85) and Study 2 <i>N</i> = 168 (74% White, <i>mean age</i> = 33.04, SD = 10.05)) to replicate and extend that past research by examining if "slurs against masculinity" are perceived to more directly threaten a targeted man's masculinity than do insults of other types (an outcome not tested in that past research), leading to greater expected physically aggressive responses. Across our two studies, participants rated various insults that targeted different aspects of the targeted man for how threatening the insults would be to the targeted man's masculinity and how likely they would be to provoke an aggressive response from the targeted man. We replicated and extended past research by showing that insults that target a man's masculinity directly (i.e., insults that are homophobic, feminine, or challenge a man's bravery) are perceived as more directly threatening to a targeted man's masculinity and more likely to provoke physically aggressive responses compared to insults that target a man's personality, intelligence, or physical attributes. Further, we demonstrated that higher levels of individual differences in adherence to masculine honor beliefs are associated with greater perceptions that insults of all types are directly threatening to a targeted man's masculinity and likely to provoke physically aggressive responses from the targeted man. This research contributes to the understanding of the relationships between masculine honor beliefs and reactions to insults and may help explain the foundations for insult-related aggression.