Walker, S. P.Odendaal, Lara2025-01-032025-01-032024http://hdl.handle.net/11660/12894Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc.(Counselling Psychology))--University of the Free State, 2024Conformity to masculine norms has been implicated in numerous mental health difficulties among men. However, little is known about the potential psychological mechanisms by which conformity to masculine norms affects men’s mental health. Rule-governed behaviour in the form of generalised pliance has been implicated in overcompliance with social norms to the detriment of adaptive functioning. This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of generalised pliance in the relationship between conformity to masculine norms and negative emotion. A sample of 336 male students from a South African public university participated in the study. Generalised pliance significantly mediated the interaction between negative emotion and conformity to masculine norms of self-reliance (𝛽=.056, 95% CI [.023, .093]), playboy-like behaviour (𝛽=.062, 95% CI [.024, .112]), and power over women (𝛽=.065, 95% CI [.028, .110]). The association between conformity to masculine norms in general and negative emotion was also mediated by generalised pliance (𝛽=.050, 95% CI [.020, .088]). The current study suggests that generalised pliance is one of the mechanisms by which conformity to certain masculine norms negatively affects emotional wellbeing among male students within the South African higher education system. Consequently, interventions aimed at undermining maladaptive rule-governed behaviour might prove useful in lessening the impact of conformity to masculine norms on the psychological health of this population.enGeneralised plianceConformity to masculine normsSelf-reliancePower over womenPlayboyNegative emotionMale university studentsDissertationUniversity of the Free State