In this article we review contemporary research testing Martineau's (1972) hypothesis that disparagement humor fosters or introduces prejudice against the disparaged out-group. Supporting Martineau's hypothesis, research suggests that instigating disparagement humor might indeed foster prejudice against the targeted group; however, through mechanisms that do not implicate unique effects of humor as a medium for communicating disparagement. Contrary to Martineau's hypothesis, it does not appear that exposure to disparagement humor promotes a negative disposition toward the targeted group. Rather than acting as an initiator of prejudice, disparagement humor functions as a releaser of existing prejudice. Lastly, following Martineau's theoretical framework, we identify new questions about the social consequences of disparagement humor that require further theoretical development and empirical research.
We conducted two experiments to test the possibility that sexist humor triggers a state of self-objectification in women. Our findings supported two hypotheses derived from self-objectification theory. In Experiment 1, we found that women (but not men) reported greater state self-objectification following exposure to sexist comedy clips than neutral comedy clips. Experiment 2 replicated this finding for women and further demonstrated that sexist humor causes women to engage in more body surveillance compared to neutral humor.
Background
Literature has consistently shown a positive relationship between young adults’ social media alcohol-related posts and drinking outcomes; however, the reasons for this association and the psychosocial influences behind students’ posting of alcohol-related content are still unclear. Peer influences have been robustly shown to predict students’ drinking such that students’ perceptions of their friends’ drinking is positively associated with their own drinking.
Objective
Although research has demonstrated that online and offline peer influences are robust predictors of drinking among college students, perceptions of friends’ approval and students’ drinking in relation to alcohol-related posting have yet to be explored longitudinally.
Methods
The current multi-site, multi-method study examined students (
N
=316; 58.7% female) from a Midwest (58.8%) and Northwest university over a 4-year period. All Facebook alcohol-related posts were coded each academic calendar year and perceived friends’ approval of drinking and students’ alcohol use were assessed annually. A lagged, random coefficients negative binomial model was specified to examine between- and within-person effects.
Results
After controlling for perceptions of friends’ alcohol-related posts, results revealed that time, drinking more, and perceiving friends as more approving of drinking were significantly and positively associated with posting alcohol-related content at the between-person level. Moreover, a significant interaction of Time X Drinking, with drinking at the between-person level, emerged such that heavier drinkers tended to post less often over time.
Conclusions
Increases in alcohol-related content posts are likely to over-inflate students’ drinking norms and their drinking. Thus, it is plausible that social media networks containing more alcohol-related content may contribute to cyclical increases in drinking for individuals within that network.
Some of the most important outcomes of romantic relationships are those related to the mutual fulfillment of basic psychological needs (Deci & Ryan, 2014; Knee, Hadden, Porter, & Rodriguez, 2013). The present study tested an actor–partner interdependence model of self-determination theory’s mutual need fulfillment in couples as a predictor of intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration. Couples (N = 78 dyads) completed measures of basic psychological need fulfillment, relationship satisfaction, and intimate partner violence perpetration. Results suggest that women’s need fulfillment matters more in predicting men’s IPV perpetration, whereas men’s need fulfillment does not significantly predict women’s IPV perpetration. In other words, women’s need fulfillment acts as a protective factor against men’s IPV perpetration.
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