Abstract
Two studies examined the influence of HIV+ individual's expression of distress on perceivers' emotional and behavioral reactions. In Study 1 ( N = 224), HIV+ individual's expression of distress was experimentally manipulated by means of vignettes. Men and women reacted differently when persons with HIV conveyed distress: women reported stronger feelings of pity, whereas men reported stronger feelings of anger. Study 2 ( N = 136) replicated this study in a realistic experimental setting with additional behavioral measures. Similarly, women reported stronger pro-social behavior than men when confronted with a person with HIV who conveyed distress. Results of the present study shed additional light to the self-presentational dilemma of ill persons. Conveying moderate levels of distress may evoke pro-social responses in women, but not in men.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 493-511 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Psychology & Health |
| Volume | 22 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - May 2007 |
| Event | 17th Annual Conference of the European-Health-Psychology-Society - Kos, Greece Duration: 24 Sept 2003 → 27 Sept 2003 |
Keywords
- AIDS
- HIV
- emotion
- stigma
- distress
- sex differences
- AIDS-RELATED STIGMATIZATION
- ILL PERSONS
- STIGMA
- PERSPECTIVE
- EXPERIENCE
- DISEASE
- PEOPLE
- GENDER
- MODEL
- FEAR