Gender Symmetry and Asymmetry in Violent Relationships: Patterns of Mutuality Among Racially Diverse Women

Three patterns of mutual intimate partner violence (IPV) are proposed, based on frequency and severity: Male primary perpetrator (MPP), female primary perpetrator (FPP), and symmetrical (SYM). Patterns and effects of ethnicity were examined with 445 African American, Euro-American, and Mexican American low-income women experiencing mutual IPV. More relationships were classified as MPP (54%) than SYM (35%) or FPP (11%). Comparing women's and men's perpetration of several types of IPV (e.g., threats, severe physical) indicated MPP-pattern women experienced all IPV types more often and were more likely to sustain injury than their male partners. Fewer gender differences were found in the FPP pattern. Racial/ethnic groups were more similar than different; previously reported differences may be explained by variation in socioeconomic status. The larger part of the study was funded by grant R49/CCR610508 from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, awarded to the third author. This article was also made possible by grant 2001-WT-BX-0504 from the National Institute of Justice awarded to the first and third authors. These agencies are not responsible for the results. Portions of this paper were presented by the first and third authors at the International Family Violence Conference in Portsmouth, NH, July, 2003.     

Narcissistic mortification of ageing men

The development of a male gender identity involves the task of relinquishing the identification with the female primary object. If this separation is experienced as loss or expulsion, and responded to by the development and libidinous cathexis of phallic-narcissistic characteristics, a specifically male narcissistic vulnerability emerges, which can, particularly in ageing men, escalate to critical proportions. However, phallic-narcissistic crises in the ageing process also contain opportunities for development, provided the losses of age can be faced with mourning. The author sets out the statements on the subject of old age in the myth of Narcissus and makes use of the concepts of developmental psychology. He outlines clinical examples illustrating this problem. Finally, he brings to mind the narcissistic plight of the aged Oedipus.     

A comparison of the accuracy and reactivity of methods of monitoring male sexual behavior

Two self-report methods of monitoring male sexuality have been compared—an ongoing method in the form of a diary card and one eliciting retrospective reports in the form of a monthly sexuality interview. Male volunteers were assigned at random to three testing conditions: (a) diary card and monthly interview for 3 months (N=29); (b) three monthly interviews (N=18); and (c) pre- and postinterview only, separated by 2 months (N=21). The correspondence among frequency reports, quality ratings, and number of sexual problems as obtained in diary card and interview measures was examined for respondents in the first condition, revealing that coital frequency and quality ratings were generally quite similar in the two modes of assessment. Interview responses for all subjects were examined for the existence of differential reactive effects according to the frequency of the assessment regimen. No differences emerged among conditions, although a trend for all groups over time was identified. Implications of the results are considered for clinical trials monitoring the effects of new contraceptive methods on sexual functioning.This study was supported by the World Health Organization's Special Programme of Research Development and Research Training in Human Reproduction (Project Nos. 76297 and 79003) and was conducted at King's College Hospital, London.     

Influence of dominance on the development of play fighting in pairs of male Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)

In the highly social rat, male juvenile and adult subordinates initiate more playful contacts with dominant pairmates than vice versa. This study examined the effect of dominance on playful contacts in the relatively asocial golden hamster. Pairs of male hamsters were reared together from weaning, and their play was filmed in the juvenile (28-36 days) and the young adult (60-70 days) stages of development. By the adult stage, it became clear that one pairmate was dominant over the other. The dominant pairmate launched all aggressive attacks (i. e., bites to the lower flanks and rump), and the subordinate pairmate performed all the submissive gesturing (e. g., tail up submissive posture). Playful contact, which in this species involves gentle nibbling of the posterior cheeks, was more frequently launched by the dominant than by the subordinate. This was not only true at the adult stage, but also at the juvenile stage, before dominance-subordination relationships were sharply polarized. Therefore, it would appear that in the relatively asocial hamster, the subordinates tend to avoid playful contact with dominants. This is markedly different to rats, where the subordinates actively seek out and engage dominants in play. This contrast further supports our hypothesis that subordinate male rats use play as a means of maintaining familiarity with dominants. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Genetic analysis of “Spontaneous” intermale aggression in mice

“Spontaneous” intermale aggression was investigated in seven inbred strains of mice. A positive interstrain correlation and cross-correlation was found for two indices of fighting intensity, ie, accumulated attacking time and number of attacks. The strain aggressiveness level (percent of mice fighting in each strain) does not correlate with the intensity of aggressive behavior. It has been shown by using a genetical analysis performed on C57BL/6 and BALB/c strains, their reciprocal F₁ hybrids, and back-crosses that these indices of intermale aggression are under different genetic control. Aggressive behavior intensity depends on the additive effects of genes. The control of strain aggressiveness level revealed that a high level of aggressiveness was dominant. No reciprocal effects were found. The level of aggressiveness and the intensity of fighting seem to represent different aspects of aggression and may be controlled by different genetic mechanisms.     

十五年来中国男性择偶标准的变化

对《中国妇女》1985年至2000年15年间每隔5年选择一年,并在每一季度中选择一期杂志,统计男性刊登的征婚启事,总共得到332例。采用统计学方法进行定量研究。发现中国男性在15年间对自身的人品、财产、相貌的重视程度显著增高,对自身的婚史和事业的重视程度明显降低;对女方的持家能力的重视程度显著增高,对女方的健康和工作的重视程度显著降低。当代中国男性的择偶标准随时间的推移有了明显的变化,但仍受到中国传统观念的影响。