Publication
The resurgence of militarism in global politics underscores the importance of examining sociocultural factors contributing to this phenomenon. Since militarism is deeply intertwined with masculine ideals—exemplified by institutions such as the army—this study investigated the relationships between traditional masculinity ideology (TMI), authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, and military attitudes among Russian men, particularly in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. A cross-sectional study with three independent samples of Russian men (N₁ = 366, N₂ = 301, N₃ = 555) demonstrated that TMI was positively related to both authoritarian submission and authoritarian aggression. These authoritarian attitudes were, in turn, associated with pro-military attitudes. Both authoritarian submission and authoritarian aggression were related to support for military actions endorsed by political authorities, attitudes toward all forms of military violence, including excessive violence against unarmed individuals. Moreover, TMI demonstrated indirect effects on military attitudes via authoritarian submission and authoritarian aggression, signifying the role of political authorities in state-based violence. Among the specific TMI domains, only negativity toward sexual minorities consistently positively predicted (beyond the general TMI factor) authoritarian submission, authoritarian aggression, and pro-military attitudes. In contrast, other domains showed inconsistent associations with both pro-military attitudes and authoritarian submission and aggression. Understanding the interplay between masculinity ideologies and authoritarian attitudes toward authorities is crucial for addressing the root causes of militarism and developing strategies to promote peace and reduce societal violence. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)