Social rank and compassion: How insecure striving, social safeness and fears of compassion mediate the relationship between masculinity, depression and anxiety

Objective

Traditional masculinity norms displayed by men attempt to signal a dominance or ‘toughness’ to others; however, traditional masculine norms are associated with a range of mental health difficulties, including depression and anxiety. Based on social rank theory, we tested the mediating role of insecure striving, social safeness and fears of compassion on the relationship between masculinity, anxiety and depression. We also examined whether compassionate goals were negatively correlated with masculine norm adherence.

Design

We used a cross-sectional survey design recruiting 844 men, aged 18–60 years (M = 34.0, SD = 14.4).

Results

Our results replicated previous findings with masculine norms significantly associated with depression and anxiety. Extending on previous work, we found insecure striving, social safeness and fears of compassion fully mediated these relationships for anxiety and partially for depression. This relationship was strongest for the masculinity subtypes of self-reliance and emotional control. Compassionate goals were negatively associated with masculine norm adherence.

Conclusions

Social rank theory offers a helpful explanatory framework to understand the links between traditional masculinity and mental health, highlighting the importance of social safeness and insecure striving for men.