Abstract
Competitions are ubiquitous, and their psychological consequences for women have not received sufficient attention. For this research, we tested whether competition, in either work settings or a broader form of competition for resources, would interact with the sex is power belief to result in self-objectification among women. This prediction was confirmed by a series of studies (N = 1,416), including correlational studies, a quasi-experiment, and fully controlled experiments, with samples including company employees, MBA students with work experience, college students currently competing in a job market, and Mechanical Turkers. Competition (or a sense of competition) as a feature of the working environment (Study 1), a real state in life (Study 2), or a temporarily activated state (Studies 3–5) resulted in self-objectification among women who believe sex is power (Study 1) or who enter such a mindset (Studies 2–5). This effect further impaired the pursuit of personal growth (Studies 4 and 5). We discuss the implications of these findings.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2837–2854 |
| Journal | Archives of Sexual Behavior |
| Volume | 51 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| Online published | 21 Jul 2022 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Aug 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Information for this record is supplemented by the author(s) concerned.Research Keywords
- Competition
- Personal growth
- Self-objectification
- Women
Publisher's Copyright Statement
- COPYRIGHT TERMS OF DEPOSITED POSTPRINT FILE: This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10508-022-02335-2.