Psy. D., Antioch University, 2018, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

Hegemonic masculinity and the negative consequences that it has on men and women continues to gain increasing attention in research and in popular culture. Particular attention is paid to the sexual violence that is perpetrated by men towards women, however, the research on men's sexual development and its relationship to this sexual violence focuses largely on biological explanations. The feminist literature, however, on sexual violence offers a differing perspective, which includes the socialization processes that men undergo in their sexual development that lead them towards normalizing sexual violence. One of these processes is the existence and normalization of the commercial sex industry. This study interviewed 12 participants, eight via individual interviews and four in a focus group, to ascertain the relationship between men's sexual development and their engagement with the commercial sex industry. The findings within this study suggested a strong link between men's sexual development, pornography, prostitution, and fitting in with all-male peer groups. Commercial sex served as a vehicle for participants to express their masculine identities and bond with peers over sexual topics. Literature and exploration on hegemonic masculinity may benefit from further analysis on how men's sexual development, including their enactment or understanding of sexual violence, is interwoven into their experiences of commercial sex. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and Ohio Link ETD Center https://etd.ohiolink.edu/etd.

Committee: William Heusler Psy.D. (Committee Chair); Patricia Russell Psy.D. (Committee Member); Marta Guzman Psy.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender; Gender Studies; Mental Health; Psychology; Social Psychology