Approaching the Effects of Gender-based Socialization on the Emotional Expression: An Exploratory Study

In this study the underlying structure of fifteen emotions generated by a social stimulus was analyzed in a sample of 869 individuals. Differentiated patterns by gender were identified in the configuration of the emotional responses, standing out differences between men and women in the symbolization of pity and in fear, a core variable of the “battered woman syndrome” (Walker, 2009, 2013). The figure of reference chosen by the subjects (paternal/maternal) modulated this emotional structure, by reinforcing differentially the emotional responses. The results obtained have been applied to prevention of gender-based violence.