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Sexual objectification pushes women away: The role of decreased likability
Author(s) -
Teng Fei,
Chen Zhansheng,
Poon KaiTak,
Zhang Denghao
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
european journal of social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1099-0992
pISSN - 0046-2772
DOI - 10.1002/ejsp.2070
Subject(s) - objectification , psychology , social psychology , interpersonal communication , sexual behavior , power (physics) , partner effects , developmental psychology , philosophy , physics , epistemology , quantum mechanics
The present investigation examined the effect of sexual objectification on women's intention to affiliate with men. We predicted that women would perceive an objectifier as less likable following sexual objectification and thus would distance themselves from the perpetrator. Study 1 found that objectification led female participants to perceive their male partner as less likable and to be less willing to affiliate with the partner. Study 2 replicated Study 1 in a concurrent interpersonal interaction and extended these effects to a man having a similar background with the perpetrator. Study 3 showed that power moderated the effect of sexual objectification on women's interaction intention such that only women with equal or low power (as compared to the objectifier) decreased their affiliation intention toward the objectifier, whereas high‐power women did not show this effect. Implications of these findings were discussed. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.