Sixth year Coláiste Mhuire student Seán Murphy from Delvin drew on his interest in psychology and applied sciences for his project, which took on the complex subject of the influence rejection can have on the development of some adolescent males.

Two awards for Seán’s fascinating study on male reaction to rejection

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Sixth year Coláiste Mhuire student Seán Murphy wound up with two awards for his project looking into the psychological drivers behind hostile attitudes in adolescent males, identifying ‘rejection’ and a lack of personal agency as key factors in the rise of online sexism.

The Delvin student was winner overall in the Senior Individual (Social & Behavioural) category, and also of The Kerrygold Social & Behavioural Award.

Seán investigated how young men develop hostile views and how they are influenced by ‘incel’ culture and online manipulation.

He focused on several psychosocial metrics, including locus of control – the degree to which people believe they, as opposed to external forces, have control over events in their lives.

“I was looking at forms of sexism – benevolent sexism and hostile sexism – and I was also looking at locus of control and social desirability,” Seán explained. “What I found is that males who have a more external locus of control are far more likely to hold hostile attitudes. They feel that there are external factors that have an effect on their lives and they don’t have control.”

The study found that feelings of being cast out or rejected by peers are often the catalyst for more extreme views. According to Seán, his findings showed that “rejection was a massive predictor of sexism”.

He noted that the project was inspired by the surge of headlines regarding online influencers who target young men. “I wanted to investigate that in a thorough way… looking at ‘incel’ culture and online spaces, and looking at interpersonal feelings of rejection.”

Rather than just identifying the problem, Seán has developed a practical solution called ‘Éist’ – the Irish word for listen. The resource is a website designed to foster better communication and critical thinking.

“I think something that we need to do is to listen,” Seán said. “We need to teach all adolescents to look at content through a critical lens, to make sure we know what we’re being told and that not everything you read online is for our own good. There are people there to manipulate our feelings.”

A major component of the ‘Éist’ project is dedicated to parents and guardians, whom Seán identifies as the most vital “protective influence” during adolescence.

“Adolescence is a period where parents are most worried about their child because it’s an unknown period,” Seán noted. “Engagement with parents is one of the most important protective influences.”

Ultimately, Seán hopes his research encourages a shift toward equity and away from the “zero-sum” mentality that often fuels intergroup hostility.

“We need to understand that when something positive happens to one group, that doesn’t mean it’s a negative for the other group,” he says.

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