From Privilege to Threat: Unraveling Psychological Pathways to the Manosphere

Abstract

In this research, we explore how identity influences the adoption of misogynistic beliefs central to the manosphere, online communities known for sexism and linked to increasing extremism and real-world violence against women. Through two correlational studies (Study 1: N = 311; Study 2: N = 470), we examined how identity factors related to privilege, identification, and perceived threat from feminism predict the endorsement of manosphere attitudes. We focus on two key manosphere attitudes: anti-feminism and evolutionary beliefs about women's manipulative nature. As predicted, results showed that the less men acknowledge their privileged status relative to women, the more they feel threatened by feminists, which in turn was associated with endorsing manosphere attitudes. In Study 2, we found evidence that perceptions of status stability moderate this relationship. Men who recognized their privilege and foresee changing gender dynamics reported feeling less threatened and showed lower affinity for manosphere attitudes. We discuss the potential for mitigating the appeal of manosphere attitudes and emphasized the need for future research on conceptualizations of masculine identity and updated measures of sexism that reflect the content of contemporary gender discourse and the manosphere.