Of Tooth and Claw: Predator Self-Identifications Mediate Gender Differences in Interpersonal Arrogance

Robinson, Michael D.; Bair, Jessica L.; Liu, Tianwei; Scott, Matthew J.; Penzel, Ian B.

doi:10.1007/s11199-016-0706-y

Cited by 9 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 62 publications

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“…This assertion is supported by a study of how animals have links to gender: Women described as predatory (versus prey-like) were more apt to be perceived as unfeminine (Tipler and Ruscher 2019). This finding is also consistent with research showing that men are more likely to identify with animals that are predators rather than prey (Robinson et al 2017).…”

Section: Ehsupporting

confidence: 73%

Bad Witches: Gender and the Downfall of Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos and Disney’s Maleficent

Dundes

Buitelaar

Streiff³

2019

Social Sciences

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Female villains, both fictional and real, are subject to unconscious gender bias when part of their iniquity involves the disruption of male authority. Disney’s most popular animated villain, Maleficent, from Sleeping Beauty (1959) and Elizabeth Holmes of the now-disgraced blood testing startup, Theranos, reveled in their power, deviating from idealized feminine propriety. An analysis of scenes featuring Maleficent, the “mistress of all evil”, and coverage of Elizabeth Holmes, once the first self-made female billionaire, illustrate how powerful women with hubris are censured beyond their misdeeds. Elizabeth Holmes’ adoption of a deep voice and other masculine characteristics parallels Maleficent’s demeanor and appearance that signal female usurpation of traditional male power. Both antagonists also engage in finger pricking that penetrates the skin and draws blood, acts associated with symbolic male potency. The purported ability to bewitch, in conjunction with the adoption of patterns associated with male dominance, suggest that Maleficent and Elizabeth Holmes wield power over men and wield the power of men. Discomfort with the way in which magical powers were allegedly employed by these women echo historical fears of witches accused of appropriating male power. Furthermore, powerful women who encroach on male authority but ultimately fail to upend the gender hierarchy trigger schadenfreude beyond that expected from their wrongdoings. In the end, the stories of Maleficent and Elizabeth Holmes celebrate the downfall of women who brazenly embrace power, without showing women how to challenge the gender hierarchy.

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Section: Ehsupporting

confidence: 73%

Bad Witches: Gender and the Downfall of Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos and Disney’s Maleficent

Dundes

Buitelaar

Streiff³

2019

Social Sciences

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“…Accordingly, people's answers on the RAPT are likely to reveal something about the extent to which they want to be fierce, dominant beings (Rojas & Tuber, 1991) independent of explicit queries along these lines (McClelland, 1987). Myers (2002) found that boys wanted to be predatory animals (e.g., lions) more than girls did, and Robinson et al (2017) found a similar trend among adults. Independent of possible trends of this type, we hypothesized that higher levels of predator self-identification on the RAPT would be linked to psychopathic tendencies, broadly defined.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 82%

“…Relatedly, people scoring high in psychopathy tend to be callous as well as low in empathy. Robinson et al (2017) provided some evidence that self-identified predators experience empathy less frequently, but further data of this type would be valuable. Finally, we were able to link the RAPT to hostile dominance, which is a robust predictor of aggression (Wiggins & Broughton, 1991), but more direct investigations of aggressive behavior should be conducted.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Myers (2002) found that boys wanted to be predatory animals (e.g., lions) more than girls did, and Robinson et al (2017) found a similar trend among adults. Independent of possible trends of this type, we hypothesized that higher levels of predator self-identification on the RAPT would be linked to psychopathic tendencies, broadly defined.…”

mentioning

confidence: 82%

“…To examine hypotheses of this type, we created a revised version of the APT termed the RAPT (Revised Animal Preference Test; Robinson, Bair, Liu, Scott, & Penzel, 2017). Similar to the original APT (van Krevelen, 1955), people are asked which animals they would like to be.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Revised Animal Preference Test: An Implicit Probe of Tendencies Toward Psychopathy

Penzel

Bair

Liu

et al. 2018

J Interpers Violence

Self Cite

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At least some forms of interpersonal violence could follow from a vision of the self as a fierce, dominant creature. This should be particularly true when psychopathic (more proactive, less reactive) tendencies are involved. Possible relations of this type were examined in two studies (total N = 278) in which college student samples were presented with a new, structured version of an old projective test typically used in psychotherapy contexts. Participants were presented with predator-prey animal pairs (e.g., lion-zebra) that were not explicitly labeled as such. For each pair, the person was asked to choose the animal that they would more prefer to be. Participants who desired to be predator animals more often, on this Revised Animal Preference Test (RAPT), tended toward psychopathy to a greater extent. In Study 1, such relations were manifest in terms of correlations with psychopathic traits and with an interpersonal style marked by hostile dominance. Further analyses, though, revealed that predator self-identifications were more strongly related to primary psychopathy than secondary psychopathy. Study 2 replicated the interpersonal style correlates of the RAPT. In addition, photographs were taken of the participants in the second study and these photographs were rated for apparent hostility and dominance. As hypothesized, participants who wanted to be predator animals to a greater extent also appeared more hostile and dominant in their nonverbal behaviors. These studies suggest that projective preferences can be assessed in a reliable manner through the use of standardizing procedures. Furthermore, the studies point to some of the motivational factors that may contribute to psychopathy and interpersonal violence.

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The Nonverbal Communication of Biological Sex and Gender

Horgan

2024

The Nonverbal Communication of Our Gendered and Sexual Selves

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Of Tooth and Claw: Predator Self-Identifications Mediate Gender Differences in Interpersonal Arrogance

Cited by 9 publications

References 62 publications

Bad Witches: Gender and the Downfall of Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos and Disney’s Maleficent

Bad Witches: Gender and the Downfall of Elizabeth Holmes of Theranos and Disney’s Maleficent

The Revised Animal Preference Test: An Implicit Probe of Tendencies Toward Psychopathy

The Nonverbal Communication of Biological Sex and Gender

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