The 'White Knight' Effect: Benevolent Sexism Accounts for Bystander Intervention in Party Situations Among High Status Men

摘要

Previous research indicates that adherence to the male role norm suggesting men should seek to attain social status (i.e., status) is positively related to prosocial bystander attitudes and behavior; however, moderators of this effect have yet to be examined. One construct that may influence this effect is benevolent sexism. The present study sought to fill this gap in the literature. Participants were 148 men. 21 to 30 years of age, from the metro Atlanta area who reported that they had engaged in heavy drinking at least 3 times in the past year. A moderation model was used to examine the independent and interactive effects of adherence to the status norm and benevolent sexism on bystander behavior within party situations for friends and strangers. The model predicting bystander behavior toward friends showed a significant interaction between status and benevolent sexism (b = .59, p = .021). The association between adherence to the status norm and bystander behavior was significant and positive among men who reported high benevolent sexism (beta = .96, p = .003), but not low benevolent sexism (beta = .15. p = .619). No such effects were detected for bystander behavior for strangers. Findings suggest that men who hold traditional male ideologies around chivalry may be more likely to engage in prosocial bystander behavior toward women in party situations, perhaps as a way of demonstrating their high status. These findings have implications for future programming for men.