A more dynamic conceptualization of gender role is presented, focusing on social psychological ambivalence and developmental alienation. Current research findings are interpreted with regard to these concepts, and directions for future research are discussed. (Author/BL)

Research on gender stereotypes has contrasted males with females, describing males by competency traits and females by traits which denote warmth or emotionality. However, it has become clear that these traits do not satisfactorily describe all members of either sex, since not all men possess only masculine characteristics and not all women…

Recent research on sex differences in career and achievement motivation have used one dimensional definitions for the constructs. To investigate sex differences in four dimensions of career motivation, one dimension of achievement motivation, and three clusters of antecedent factors for young women and men, 212 high school graduates (112 females,…

A differentiation between two types of self-blame, behavioral and characterological, has been suggested. Behavioral self-blame is control-related and pertains to attributions made to one's behavior, while characterological self-blame is esteem-related and involves attributions made to one's character. To assess the efficacy of separating the…

Shostrom (1971) has identified a type of marriage in which self-actualizing couples do not simply accept their socially defined roles, but instead develop personality traits and values that are consistent with their own psychological health and that of the couple relationship. Antill (1983) found evidence for the importance of high scores in…

A scale of gender understanding and a measure of sex-role preference were administered to three- to nine-year-old children from four traditional communities in Belize, Kenya, Nepal, and American Samoa. Overall, findings reflected the strong contribution of cognitive development to the growth of gender understanding. (Author/AS)

Examines relationships among gender constancy, preferences for same- or opposite-sex playmates, and sex-typed activities in preschool children. Findings suggest that, at least for females, gender concepts may have an organizing role in sex-role development by motivating children to seek social contexts in which to acquire and practice…

Children from grades one through six judged commercially produced advertisements, specially produced "pseudocommercials," and verbal descriptions as better suited to advertise a feminine or masculine sex-typed toy. Comprehension of sex-typed connotations was predicted by home television viewing patterns but not by general knowledge of sex…

The role of adolescent sexual behavior in educational attainment has been overlooked. Homosexual and heterosexual men were interviewed to test for a correlation between adolescent sexual activeness and educational attainment, as well as any link between childhood masculine sex roles and early sexual activity. Approximately 1,000 volunteers,…

Examines the relationship between the gender role attitudes and the life expectations of 272 college undergraduates (80.1 percent female; 19.9 percent male). Findings point to a lack of awareness on the part of both sexes of the complexity of combining work and family responsibilities. (FMW)

To derive a descriptive profile of communication role patterns and to determine whether these patterns were gender dependent, a Gender Communication Scale was developed by selecting scale items from other instruments that best discriminated reports of role behavior. The scale was then administered to 91 male and 148 female undergraduate students.…

An exploratory study examined gender differences in writing in the essays of five male and five female freshman composition students. The findings suggest parallels between the writing and speaking behaviors of men and women students and between student writing and the work of male and female professional writers. The male students made few…

Reported in this document are the results of three experiments investigating the potential influence of peers in gender-role socialization. Children were exposed to a series of vignettes providing information about target children who varied in their degree of masculinity and femininity. Drawn from third through sixth grades, participants included…

Found that white leaders exhibited more internal control and attributed good outcomes to personal attributes more often than did Black leaders. Self-concept data and sex-role orientation data were not helpful in interpreting findings. (Author/AS)

Research in America on sex role attitudes and beliefs tends to neglect the views of minorities. While there is some research on the sex role attitudes of Chinese Americans, little is known about Japanese American attitudes and beliefs. To assess and compare Japanese and Caucasian American college students' attitudes, a questionnaire assessing…