Abstract
A recently outlined model of gender-role attributes (K. Korabik, 1999; D. R. McCreary & K. Korabik, 1994) incorporates two complimentary notions: (1) that possessing too little agency or communion (i.e., undersocialization) is undesirable and (2) that too much agency or communion unmitigated by the other (i.e., oversocialization) is undesirable. The present study sought to confirm the relationships proposed in this model between desirable agentic and communal characteristics and these undesirable gender-role constructs. A group of mostly Caucasian undergraduates completed measures of socially desirable and undesirable gender-role attributes. Structural equation modelling was used to confirm the proposed gender-role model. Results showed that the socially desirable gender-role trait components were related to the undesirable components in the manner predicted by the differentiated multidimensional gender-role model.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
Alden, L. E., Wiggins, J. S., & Pincus, A. L. (1990). Construction of circumplex scales for the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems. Journal of Personality Assessment, 55, 521–536.
Aube, J., & Koestner, R. (1992). Gender characteristics and adjustment: A longitudinal study. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 63, 485–493.
Auten, P., Hull, D., & Hull, J. (1985). Sex-role orientation and Type A behavior pattern. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 9, 288–290.
Bakan, D. (1966). The duality of human existence. Chicago: Rand McNally.
Batlis, N., & Small, A. (1982). Sex roles and Type A behavior. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 38, 315–316.
Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42, 152–162.
Bem, S. L. (1981). Bem Sex-Role Inventory: Professional manual. Palo Alto: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Bem, S. L. (1993). The lenses of gender. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Bentler, P.M. (1990). Comparative fit indexes in structural models. Psychological Bulletin, 107, 238–246.
Bentler, P. M. (1993). EQS: Structural equations program manual. Los Angeles: BMDP Statistical Software.
Blascovich, J. C., Major, B., & Katkin, E. S. (1981). Sex-role orientation and Type A behavior. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 7, 600–604.
Byrne, B. M. (1994). Structural equation modeling with EQS and EQS/Windows. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Carmines, E. G., & McIver, J. (1981). Analyzing models with unobserved variables: Analysis of covariance structures. In G. Bohrnstedt & E. Borgatta (Eds.), Social measurement: Current issues (pp. 65–115). Beverly Hills: Sage.
Constantinople, A. (1973). Masculinity-femininity: An exception to a famous dictum? Psychological Bulletin, 80, 389–407.
Cook, E. P. (1985) Psychological androgyny. New York: Pergamon.
DeGregario, E., & Carver, C. S. (1980). Type A behavior pattern, sex role orientation, and psychological adjustment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39, 286–293.
Fritz, H. L., & Helgeson, V. S. (1998). Distinctions of unmitigated communion from communion: Self-neglect and overinvolvement with others. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 121–140.
Hawkins, R. C., Turell, S., & Jackson, L. (1983). Desirable and undesirable masculine and feminine traits in relation to students’ dieting tendencies and body image dissatisfaction. Sex Roles, 9, 705–718.
Heilbrun, A. B. (1976). Measurement of masculine and feminine sex role identities as independent dimensions. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 44, 183–190.
Helgeson, V. S. (1990). The role of masculinity in a prognostic predictor of heart attack severity. Sex Roles, 22, 755–774.
Helgeson, V. S. (1993). Implications of agency and communion for patient and spouse adjustment to a first coronary event. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64, 807–816.
Helgeson, V. S. (1994). Relation of agency andcommunionto well-being: Evidence and potential explanations. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 412–428.
Helgeson, V. S., & Fritz, H. L. (1998). A theory of unmitigated communion. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2, 173–183.
Helmreich, R. L., Spence, J. T., & Wilhelm, J. A. (1981). Apsychometric analysis of the Personal Attributes Questionnaire. Sex Roles, 7, 1097–1108.
Holahan, C. K., & Spence, J. T. (1980). Desirable and undesirable masculine and feminine traits in counseling clients and unselected students. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 48, 300–302.
Korabik, K. (1999). Sex and gender in the new millennium. In G. N. Powell (Ed.), Handbook of gender and work. (pp. 3–16). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Marsh, H. W., (1987). Masculinity, femininity, and androgyny: Their relations to multiple dimensions of self-concept. Multivariate Behavioral Research, 22, 427–449.
Marsh, H. W., & Byrne, B. M. (1991). Differetiated additive androgyny model: Relations between asculinity, femininity, and multiple dimensions of self-concept. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 811–828.
McCreary, D. R., & Korabik, K. (1994). Examining the relationships between the socially desirable and undesirable aspects of agency and communion. Sex Roles, 31, 637–651.
Nix, J., & Lohr, J. M. (1981). Relationship between sex, sex-role characteristics, and coronaryprone behavior in college students. Psychological Reports, 48, 739–744.
Olmstead, R. E., & Bentler, P. M. (1992). Structural equations modeling: A new friend? In F. B. Bryant, J. Edwards, R. S. Tindale, E. J. Posavac, L. Heath, E. Henderson, & Y. Suarez-Balcazar (Eds.), Methodological issues in applied social psychology (pp. 135–158). New York: Plenum.
Runge, T. E., Frey, D., Gollwitzer, P. M., Helmreich, R. L., & Spence, J. T. (1981). Masculine (instrumental) and feminine (expressive) traits: A comparison between students in the United States andWest Germany. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 12, 142–162.
Saragovi, C., Koestner, R., Aube, J., & DiDio, L. (1997). Agency, communion, and well being: xtending Helgeson's (1994) model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 593–609.
Spence, J. T. (1984). Masculinity, femininity, and gender-related traits: A conceptual analysis and critique of current research. In B. A. Maher and W. B. Maher (Eds.), Progress in experimental personality research. (Vol. 13, pp. 1–97) San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
Spence, J. T., & Helmreich, R. L. (1978). Masculinity and femininity: Their psychological dimensions, correlates, and antecedents. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
Spence, J. T., Helmreich, R. L., & Holahan, C. K. (1979). Negative and ositive components of psychological masculinity and femininity and their relationships to self-reports of neurotic and acting out behaviours. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 1673–1682.
Spence, J. T., Helmreich, R. L., & Stapp, J. (1975). Ratings of self and peers on sex role attributes and their relation to self-esteem and conceptions of masculinity and femininity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 32, 29–39.
Taylor, M.C., & Hall, J. A. (1982). Psychological androgyny:Theories, methods, and conclusions. Psychological Bulletin, 92, 347–366.
Whitley, B. E. (1983). Sex role orientation and self-esteem: A critical meta-analytic review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 40–52.
Wiggins, J. S. (1979). A psychological taxonomy of trait-descriptive terms: The interpersonal domain. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 37, 395–412.
Wiggins, J. S. (1991). Agency and communion as conceptual coordinates for the understanding and measurement of interpersonal behavior. In W. M. Grove & D. Cicchetti (Eds.), Thinking clearly about psychology. Vol. 2: Personality and psychopathology (pp. 89–113). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Wiggins, J. S., & Holzmuller, A. (1978). Psychological androgyny and interpersonal behavior. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 46, 40–52.
Wiggins, J. S., & Holzmuller, A. (1981). Further evidence on androgyny and interpersonal flexibility. Journal for Research in Personality, 15, 67–80.
Wiggins, J. S., Trapnell, P., & Phillips, N. (1988). Psychometric and geometric characteristics of the Revised Interpersonal Adjectives Scale (IAS-R). Multivariate Behavioral Research, 23, 517–530
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Korabik, K., McCreary, D.R. Testing a Model of Socially Desirable and Undesirable Gender-Role Attributes. Sex Roles 43, 665–685 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007104624752
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1007104624752