Articles | Open Access | Vol. 5 No. 09 (2025): olume 05 Issue 09 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.37547/social-fsshj-05-09-07

The Relationship between Masculine Honor Beliefs and Beliefs about Confederate Symbols

Jessica L. McManus , Hood College Department of Psychology 401 Rosemont Avenue Frederick, MD 21701 United States of America

Abstract

This research explored the relationships between beliefs about the Confederate flag’s symbolism, masculine honor beliefs (MHB), and attitudes toward removing Confederate symbols and memorials from public areas. Participants from across the United States (N = 206) responded to questionnaires assessing their MHB, beliefs that the Confederate flag symbolizes remembrance, rebellion, and racism, and reported their attitudes about Confederate symbols. Results demonstrated positive associations between beliefs that the Confederate flag stands for remembrance and rebellion, MHB, and support for the Confederate flag. Those who believe the flag symbolizes racism were most in favor of removing Confederate symbols from public spaces whereas those who believe the flag is a symbol of remembrance followed by those with higher levels of MHB most oppose their removal. Findings provide insights into how ideas about masculine honor influence perceptions of important social issues and may explain the acceptance of aggressive measures to protect the Confederate symbols.

Keywords

Masculine Honor, Confederate Flag Beliefs

References

AP News. (2020, August 15). Police move in after fights break out during Georgia protest. AP News. https://apnews.com/general-news-cc42ee6ff8cb1c05278a1e2d7f045a2e

Cohen, D., & Nisbett, R. E. (1994). Self-Protection and the Culture of Honor: Explaining Southern Violence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 20(5), 551–567. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167294205012

Cohen, D., & Nisbett, R. E. (1997). Field Experiments Examining the Culture of Honor: The Role of Institutions in Perpetuating Norms about Violence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 23(11), 1188–1199. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672972311006

Cohen, D., Nisbett, R. E., Bowdle, B. F., & Schwarz, N. (n.d.). Insult, Aggression, and the Southern Culture of Honor: An “Experimental Ethnography.”

Cooper, C. A., Huffmon, S. H., Knotts, H. G., & McKee, S. C. (2021). Heritage Versus Hate: Assessing Opinions in the Debate over Confederate Monuments and Memorials. Social Science Quarterly, 102(3), 1098–1110. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12969

Faul, F., Erdfelder, E., Lang, A.-G., & Buchner, A. (2007). G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behavior Research Methods, 39(2), 175–191. https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03193146

Gardner, S. (2020, July 28). St. Augustine commissioners face anger over Confederate memorial decision. St. Augustine Record. https://www.staugustine.com/story/news/2020/07/28/st-augustine-commissioners-face-anger-over-confederate-memorial-decision/42053095/

Haghighat, R. (2007). The Development of the Brief Social Desirability Scale (BSDS). Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 3(4), Article 4. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v3i4.417

Joyner, C., & Walker, M. A. (2020, August 15). Protesters clash in Stone Mountain. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Katz, A. (2017). Scenes From the Deadly Unrest in Charlottesville. TIME.Com. https://time.com/charlottesville-white-nationalist-rally-clashes/

Lippard, C. D. (2017). Heritage or hate?: A pedagogical guide to the Confederate flag in post-race America. Learning and Teaching: The International Journal of Higher Education in the Social Sciences, 10(3), 56–78.

McManus, J. L., White, A., Harmon, S., & Herriges, C. (2025). Remembrance, Rebellion, or Racism: Associations between Beliefs about the Confederate Flag’s Symbolism and Political Affiliations, and Racist Attitudes. Journal of Advanced Research in Social Sciences, 8(2), 58–84. https://doi.org/10.33422/jarss.v8i2.1382

Mitchell, G. (2015, July 5). Tense Confederate-flag rally outside Phoenix Walmart. The Arizona Republic. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2015/07/06/phoenix-walmart-confederate-flag-rally-abrk/29751799/

Murty, K. S., & Vyas, A. G. (2017). African American Students’ Reactions to the Confederate Flag: A Social-psychological Approach to Integrate Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome and Microaggression Theory. Race, Gender & Class, 24(1–2), 133–159.

Nisbett, R. E. (1993). Violence and U.S. Regional Culture. American Psychologist.

Saucier, D. A., & McManus, J. L. (2014). Men of Honor: Examining Individual Differences in Masculine Honor Beliefs. In J. Gelfer (Ed.), Masculinities in a Global Era (pp. 85–99). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6931-5_5

Saucier, D. A., Stanford, A. J., Miller, S. S., Martens, A. L., Miller, A. K., Jones, T. L., McManus, J. L., & Burns, M. D. (2016). Masculine honor beliefs: Measurement and correlates. Personality and Individual Differences, 94, 7–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.12.049

Strother, L. (2021). Racism and pride in attitudes toward confederate symbols. Sociology Compass, 15(6), e12882. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.12882

The Guardian. (2016, March 6). Confederate flag dispute prompts verbal clashes at Gettysburg protests. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/mar/05/confederate-flag-dispute-gettysburg-protests

Whose Heritage? Public Symbols of the Confederacy. (2019, February 1). Southern Poverty Law Center. https://www.splcenter.org/resources/reports/whose-heritage-public-symbols-confederacy-3/

Wright, J. D., & Esses, V. M. (2017). Support for the Confederate Battle Flag in the Southern United States: Racism or Southern Pride? Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 5(1), Article 1. https://doi.org/10.5964/jspp.v5i1.687

Article Statistics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Copyright License

Download Citations

How to Cite

Jessica L. McManus. (2025). The Relationship between Masculine Honor Beliefs and Beliefs about Confederate Symbols. Frontline Social Sciences and History Journal, 5(09), 35–41. https://doi.org/10.37547/social-fsshj-05-09-07