Gender and Responses to Disfigurement in Self and Others

lournal of Social and Clinical Psychology, Vol 3, No. 3, 1985, pp 257-267

ROBERT E. KLECK AND A. CHRISTOPHER STRENTA

Dartmouth College

Individuals viewed facial images of ffiemselves that were normal or tfiat fiad been

manipulated to give the appearance of a facial scar. These were shown in a stimulus

sequence that included images of both facially normal and facially disfigured others. Participants were more autonomically aroused (skin resistance) when viewing facially disfigured than when viewing nondisfigured individuals. Males and females did not differ in their autonomic arousal responses, but did differ sharply in the emotion terms they used to describe their resfionses to seeing themselves disfigured No

gender differences were present in the nature or severity of the negative social im

plications that subjects projected for facial scars in themselves or in others. Most

respondents felt that their less intimate relationships would be more disrupted by

a facial disfigurement than would relationships with family members and friends. When asked how they would know if another person was responding to a facial

scar of the sort simulated in their photograph, respondents focused on the nonverbal dimensions of interactive behavior, particularly gaze patterns. The relative absence of gender differences in responses to facial disfigurement in self and others discussed.

Cosmetic or aesthetic surgery of the face is predominantly practiced on

female patients. This gender imbalance is evident in surgical samples

for face-lifts (meloplasty, rhytidectomy, rhytidoplasty, etc.), where fre

quently more than 90% of the patients are women (e.g., Baker, 1978; Lemmon & Hamri, 1980). It is also present, though less strikingly, in rhinoplasty samples (e.g., Bruck, 1973; Hay, 1970) and in patient groups

for which laser technology is being employed to reduce or remove facial port wine stains (Kalick, Goldwyn, & Noe, 1981). The surgical correc-

This research supported in part by National Institute of Mental Health Grant No.

tVlH 29446 to Robert E. Kleck. We would like to thank Jane Giffin for assisting in the

periment and for her helpful comments earlier version of this manuscript. Requests

for reprints should be sent to Robert E. Kleck, Department of Psychology, Dartmouth

College, Hanover, NH 03755.

257

GENDER AND RESPONSES TO

DISFIGUREMENT IN

SELF AND OTHERS

258 KLECK AND STRENTA tion of protruding ears appears to be