I'd Rather Go along and Be Considered a Man: Masculinity and Bystander Intervention

This research examines the relationship between masculinity and bystander intervention in crisis situations. Three vignettes were used in vignette-based, semi-structured interviews with 20 college men aged 18 and 19, during which they were asked questions about masculinity and the pressures they feel to appear masculine. Findings indicate these men felt they must not appear weak. This research suggests the pressure to act masculine plays a complex and important role in these young men's decisions about intervening in violent situations.