An investigation of the relationship between psychological androgyny and components of self-concept

357 college students participated in a study designed to investigate whether the higher levels of self-esteem and self-concept of androgynous individuals are due to an integration of both masculine and feminine traits or due only to a high level of masculinity. Ss completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventor...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of personality and social psychology 1980-06, Vol.38 (6), p.984-992
Main Authors: Flaherty, John F, Dusek, Jerome B
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Femininity
Human
Masculinity
Self-Concept
Sex Role Attitudes
Sex Roles
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Summary:357 college students participated in a study designed to investigate whether the higher levels of self-esteem and self-concept of androgynous individuals are due to an integration of both masculine and feminine traits or due only to a high level of masculinity. Ss completed the Bem Sex-Role Inventory and a semantic differential scale previously shown to assess 4 dimensions of the self-concept. The androgynous group scored higher than the undifferentiated group on adjustment to the environment. The androgynous and masculine groups scored higher than the feminine and undifferentiated groups on achievement/leadership, which tends to reflect an instrumental role. Androgynous and feminine Ss scored higher than masculine and undifferentiated Ss on congeniality/sociability, which reflects an expressive role. The masculine and feminine groups scored at appropriate ends of the masculinity/femininity self-concept dimension, with the androgynous and undifferentiated groups at intermediate levels. These results support S. L. Bem's (1975, 1977) theory of androgynous flexibility. (20 ref)
ISSN:0022-3514
1939-1315
DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.38.6.984