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GENDER IDEOLOGY, SAME-SEX PEER GROUP AFFILIATION AND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TESTOSTERONE AND DOMINANCE IN ADOLESCENT BOYS AND GIRLS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 May 2010

HANS VERMEERSCH ,
GUY T'SJOEN ,
J. M. KAUFMAN ,
J. VINCKE  and
MIEKE VAN HOUTTE
HANS VERMEERSCH
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Ghent, Belgium
GUY T'SJOEN
Affiliation:
Department of Endocrinology, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium
J. M. KAUFMAN
Affiliation:
Department of Endocrinology, University Hospital Ghent, Belgium
J. VINCKE
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Ghent, Belgium
MIEKE VAN HOUTTE
Affiliation:
Department of Sociology, University of Ghent, Belgium
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Summary

Although the role of testosterone in the aetiology of social dominance is often suggested, surprisingly few studies have addressed the relationship between sex steroid hormones and dominance as a personality trait. In this paper, the relationship between testosterone and dominance is studied in a sample of adolescent boys and girls, taking into account the moderating role of gender ideology and same-sex peer group orientation. A direct association between free testosterone (FT) and dominance was found in girls but not in boys. In boys, masculine ideology moderated the relationship between FT and dominance, while in girls the relationship between FT and dominance was moderated by same-sex peer group affiliation.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 42 , Issue 4 , July 2010 , pp. 463 - 475
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

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