Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Integrating Expressiveness and Instrumentality in Real-Life Settings: A New Perspective on the Benefits of Androgyny

  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Personality trait research has failed to substantiate a link between androgyny and well-being. Using an alternate, social context approach, the present study investigated (a) positive and negative aspects of situations in which expectations for androgynous behavior were salient (dual expectation situations), and (b) associations between gender role coping strategies and well-being in these situations. Interviews were conducted with 124 female and 70 male undergraduates, most of whom were African American (14%) or White American (81%). Participants reported significantly more negative aspects of the process of coping with dual expectation situations and more positive aspects of the outcomes of the situations. Androgynous coping strategies were associated with greater positive well-being and lesser negative well-being than were instrumental or indeterminate strategies. Well-being scores of expressive strategists were not significantly different from those of androgynous strategists.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Amatea, E. S., & Fong, M. L. (1991). The impact of role stressors and personal resources on the stress experience of professional women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 15, 419-430.

    Google Scholar 

  • Angyal, A. (1965). Neurosis and treatment: A holistic theory. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aube, J., Koestner, R., Hodgins, H., & Craig, J. (1994). Masculine traits and reports of social functioning: Evidence for a positivity bias. Sex Roles, 31, 621-636.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bakan, D. (1966). The duality of human existence. Chicago: Rand McNally.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bassoff, E. S., & Glass, G. V. (1982). The relationship between sex roles and mental health: A meta-analysis of twenty-six studies. The Counseling Psychologist, 10, 105-112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1978). Beyond androgyny: Some presumptuous prescriptions for a liberated sexual identity. In J. Sherman & F. Denmark (Eds.), Psychology of women: Future directions and research. New York: Psychological Dimensions.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L., Martyna, W., & Watson, C. (1976). Sex-typing and androgyny: Further explorations of the expressive domain. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 34, 1016-1023.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Billings, A. G., & Moos, R. H. (1981). The role of coping responses and social resources in attenuating the stress of life events. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4, 139-157.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cate, R., & Sugawara, A. I. (1986). Sex role orientation and dimensions of self-esteem among middle adolescents. Sex Roles, 15, 145-158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cook, E. P. (1987). Psychological androgyny: A review of the research. The Counseling Psychologist, 15, 471-513.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cooke, R. A., & Rousseau, D. M. (1984). Stress and strain from family roles and work-role expectations. Journal of Applied Psychology, 69, 252-260.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1980). Influence of extraversion and neuroticism on subjective well-being: Happy and unhappy people. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38, 668-678.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Eagly, A. H. (1987). Sex differences in social behavior: A social role interpretation. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flett, G. L., Blankstein, K. R., & Obertynski, M. (1996). Affect intensity, coping styles, mood regulation expectancies, and depressive symptoms. Personality and Individual Differences, 20, 221-228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goode, W. J. (1960). A theory of role strain. American Sociological Review, 25, 483-496.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray, J. D. (1983). The married professional woman: An examination of her role conflicts and coping strategies. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 7, 235-243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guisinger, S., & Blatt, S. J. (1994). Individuality and relatedness. American Psychologist, 49, 104-111.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hare-Mustin, R. T., & Marecek, J. (1990). On making a difference. In R. T. Hare-Mustin & J. Marecek (Eds.), Making a difference. Psychology and the construction of gender. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helgeson, V. S. (1994). Relation of agency and communion to well-being: Evidence and potential explanations. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 412-428.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holahan, C. J., & Moos, R. H. (1987). Personal and contextual determinants of coping strategies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 946-955.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holahan, C. J., Valentiner, D. P., & Moos, R. H. (1995). Parental support, coping strategies, and psychological adjustment: An integrative model with late adolescents. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 24, 633-648.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunt, M. G. (1993). Expressiveness does predict well-being. Sex Roles, 29, 147-169.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirchmeyer, C. (1993). Nonwork-to-work spillover: A more balanced view of the experiences and coping of professional women and men. Sex Roles, 28, 531-552.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirk, R. E. (1995). Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral sciences, (3rd ed.). New York: Brooks/Cole.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koestner, R., & Aube, J. (1995). A multifactorial approach to the study of gender characteristics. Journal of Personality, 63, 683-710.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korabik, K., & Kampen, J. V. (1995). Gender, social support, and coping with work stressors among managers. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 10, 135-148.

    Google Scholar 

  • Korabik, K., McDonald, L. M., & Rosin, H. M. (1993). Stress, coping, and social support among women managers. In B. C. Long & S. E. Kahn (Eds.), Women, work, and coping. Buffalo, NY: McGill Queens University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Krames, L., England, R., & Flett, G. L. (1988). The role of masculinity and femininity in depression and satisfaction in elderly females. Sex Roles, 19, 713-721.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, R. J., & Ketelaar, T. (1991). Personality and susceptibility to positive and negative emotional states. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 132-140.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lau, S. (1989). Sex role orientation and domains of self-esteem. Sex Roles, 21, 415-422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lenney, E. (1991). Sex roles: The measurement of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny. In J. P. Robinson, P. R. Shaver, & L. S. Wrightsman (Eds.), Measures of personality and social psychological attitudes. Academic Press: New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Long, B. C. (1989). Sex-role orientation, coping strategies, and self-efficacy of women in traditional and nontraditional occupations. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 13, 307-324.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lubinski, D., Tellegen, A., & Butcher, J. N. (1981). The relationship between androgyny and subjective indicators of emotional well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 722-730.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marks, S. R. (1977). Multiple roles and role strain: Some notes on human energy, time and commitment. American Sociological Review, 42, 921-936.

    Google Scholar 

  • Martins-Crane, M. D. L., Beyerlein, M. M., & Johnson, D. A. (1995). Adjusting models of gender and work to new work environments. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 10, 27-50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matteson, M. T., & Ivancevich, J. M. (1987). Controlling work stress. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, M. L., Moen, P., & Dempster-McClain, D. (1991). Motherhood, multiple roles, and maternal well-being: Women of the 1950's. Gender and Society, 5, 565-582.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orlofsky, J. L. (1981). Relationship between sex role attitudes and personality traits and the Sex Role Behavior Scale—I: A new measure of masculine and feminine role behaviors and interests. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 927-940.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orlofsky, J. L., & O'Heron, C. A. (1987). Stereotypic and nonstereotypic sex-role trait and behavior orientations: Implications for personal adjustment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 1034-1042.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parkes, K. R. (1994). Personality and coping as moderators of work stress processes: Models, methods and measures. Work and Stress, 8, 110-129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Payne, F. D. (1987). “Masculinity,#x201D; “femininity,#x201D; and the complex construct of adjustment. Sex Roles, 17, 359-374.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pleck, J. H. (1981). The myth of masculinity. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ptacek, J. T., Smith, R. E., & Zanas, J. (1992). Gender, appraisal, and coping: A longitudinal analysis. Journal of Personality, 60, 747-770.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sieber, S. D. (1974). Toward a theory of role accumulation. American Sociological Review, 39, 567-578.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sigmon, S. T., Stanton, A. L., & Snyder, C. R. (1995). Gender differences in coping: A further test of socialization and role constraint theories. Sex Roles, 33, 565-587.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stake, J. E., Zand, D., & Smalley, R. (1996). The relation of instrumentality and expressiveness to self-concept and adjustment: A social context perspective. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 15, 167-190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stoppard, J. M., & Paisley, K. J. (1987). Masculinity, femininity, life stress, and depression. Sex Roles, 16, 489-496.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, M. C., & Hall, J. A. (1982). Psychological androgyny: Theories, methods, and conclusions. Psychological Bulletin, 92, 347-366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Thoits, P. A. (1983). Multiple identities and psychological well-being: A reformulation and test of the social isolation hypothesis. American Sociological Review, 48, 174-187.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tiedje, L. B., Wortman, C. B., Downey, G., Emmons, C., Biernat, M., & Lang, E. (1990). Women with multiple roles: Role-compatibility perceptions, satisfaction, and mental health. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 52, 63-72.

    Google Scholar 

  • van der Velde, M., & Class, M. D. (1995). The relationship of role conflict and ambiguity to organizational culture. In S. L. Sauter, & L. R. Murphy (Eds.), Organizational risk factors for job stress. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Vonk, R., & Ashmore, R. D. (1993). The multifaceted self: Androgyny reassessed by open-ended self-descriptions. Social Psychology Quarterly, 56, 278-287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Warr, P. (1994). A conceptual framework for the study of work and mental health. Work and Stress, 8, 84-97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, B., E., Jr. (1983). Sex role orientation and self-esteem: A critical meta-analytic review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 765-778.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, B. E., Jr. (1988). Masculinity, femininity, and self-esteem: A multitrait-multimethod analysis. Sex Roles, 18, 419-431.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Missouri, St. Louis, MO, 63121

    Jayne E. Stake

Authors
  1. Jayne E. Stake
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Stake, J.E. Integrating Expressiveness and Instrumentality in Real-Life Settings: A New Perspective on the Benefits of Androgyny. Sex Roles 37, 541–564 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025658902984

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025658902984

Keywords

Search

Navigation