Acceptance of femininity in adolescent females : An investigation by questionnaire and Rorschach method

The purpose of this study was to grasp how modern adolescent females accept femininity. Subjects were 175 female students of junior college, nursing school, and university. First, subjects responded to a questionnaire about their acceptance of femininity. By examining the combination of four aspects of femininity acceptance, respondents were divided into three groups: \u22high acceptance,\u22 \u22low negative acceptance,\u22 and \u22low acceptance.\u22 Second, the Rorschach method was employed to investigate qualitative characteristics of each group. The results were as follows: 1)In the high acceptance group, respondents mostly had a generally consistent positive image toward femininity and, when compared to the other groups, accepted stereotyped gender roles. 2) In the low negative acceptance group, respondents tended to have ambivalent feelings toward femininity and an unstable self image, but this conflict was also considered a necessary process of identity establishment. 3) In the low acceptance group, respondents tended to have a high degree of intelligence. Many of them displayed some anxiety in interpersonal relationships and negative feeling toward their fathers