Challenging Horner but following Berger and Luckmann, "female motive to avoid success" is interpreted as a normative response to social deviancy. Previous studies of this "motive" have analyzed male S's response to male success at activities typified for males but female S's response to female success at activities non-typified for females. This study establishes two conditions under which activities are defined as either typified for both male and female actors or typified for male actors only; 269 male and female S's respond to a TAT-type verbal cue depicting a successful female actor under one of the two conditions. Results show that fewer subjects report "female motive to avoid success" when the activity is defined as typified for both sexes than when it is defined as non-typified for women. When the activity is defined as typified for both sexes, sex of subject does not affect response and reports of the "motive" are few. When the activity is defined as non-typified for women, more male S's report "female motive to avoid success." Few females S's in either condition report the "motive." (Author)