Psychological androgyny in relation to self-concept and mental health

Includes bibliographical references (pages 31-33)Masters of Arts in Psychology, Community/Clinical Advocates of psychological androgyny suggest that the development of masculine and feminine characteristics in a single individual is advantageous to one???s psychological well-being in contemporary society. However, recent investigations claim that it is primarily the masculine characteristics, not the androgynous masculine-feminine combination, that leads to greater psychological health and well-being. The present study was undertaken to examine the relative importance of masculine, feminine, androgynous, and undifferentiated sex-role orientations on the development of self-concept, and psychological health. One hundred and ninety female college students, enrolled in introductory psychology enrolled in introductory psychology classes completed the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (Spense, Helmreich, & Stapp, 1974), a measure of sex-role stereotypes, and then were classified separately into one of the four sex-role categories. Subjects were further required to complete the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale (Fitts, 1965) in which nine aspects of self-concept and five aspects of psychological health were assessed. (See more in text.