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Psychologist Sandra Bem
According to psychologist Sandra Bem the ability of people to take on
both masculine and feminine roles enabled them to adopt to challenging
environmental situations, rather than acting in these situations
with stereo-typical masculine or feminine responses, it makes
sense (she states) to draw upon the positive traits of either
sex, depending upon the situation. People who do this are in
effect, extending their gender schema. A Gender schema is a
way of thinking about ones own gender identity.
Gender identity refers to people's perceptions of themselves
as either masculine or feminine. Often, masculinity and femininity
are seen as opposite ends of a continuum, and it is often assumed
- wrongly, according to Bem - that an individual could exhibit
either masculine characteristics or feminine characteristics,
but not both.
I mentioned before, Bem and others have actually criticized
this bipolar approach, suggesting both masculine and feminine
characteristics may develop in some individuals. Bem has used
the term androgynous to describe people who possess
both masculine and feminine traits, and whose behaviour does
not conform rigidly to sex-stereotypes. In addition, Bem's research
stimulated a large number of studies, which attempted to determine
whether androgynous individuals are more psychologically well
adjusted than are individuals who are rigidly typed as either
masculine or feminine.
Most research however, has confirmed that this is in fact the
case. For example, many studies have reported that androgynous
individuals score higher on measures of self-esteem than, do
individuals who are rigidly sex-typed (S.L.Bem.1983). Furthermore,
it has been suggested that masculine characteristics tend to
be more highly valued in Western societies than are feminine
characteristics. Also, it may be the masculine aspects of an
androgynous personality that are positively related to psychological
flexibility and adjustment. |
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