Date of Award

5-2026

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Conor J. O'Dea

Second Advisor

Ashley Hutson

Abstract

Masculine honor ideology is the idea that men act aggressively or violently toward women and others to achieve a masculine reputation. Previous research shows that men higher in masculine honor seek higher status and use prestige (e.g. respect, honor) or dominance (e.g. aggression, force) to achieve it. Using a variation of the prisoner’s dilemma—a game where participants are assigned to another player that they can choose to compete or cooperate with to maximize a point total—we analyzed behavioral outcomes of said motivations for men higher in masculine honor. We predicted that men higher in masculine honor using honor-dominance motivations would be more likely to harm others for personal gain, while those using honor-prestige motivations would cooperate unless provoked. Our findings suggested that although both honor-dominance and honor-prestige motivated individuals wanted to win, honor-prestige motivations were associated with a stronger desire for a higher point total and revenge over a desire to harm the other player right from the start, while honor-dominance was more associated with winning at any cost, even if that meant competing from the start. This suggests than men higher in honor-prestige are more likely to endorse norms of politeness and men higher in honor-dominance are not. This research extends previous research on honor ideology and status, and understanding the motives behind these men’s status seeking can help us see how one’s motivations to engage in honor-related behavior may help to explain some inconsistencies seen in recent honor ideology literature.

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