Androgyny Flashcards
What is androgyny?
Describes a flexible gender role displaying a balance of both masculine and feminine traits.
Androgyny can influence psychological health positively.
Why does the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) lack validity?
The link between androgyny and psychological health may be better explained in terms of self-esteem.
Most adjectives in BSRI are socially desirable, affecting the scores.
How does androgyny affect psychological health?
Androgynous individuals generally have better psychological health outcomes compared to those who identify strictly as masculine or feminine.
Bem predicted a positive correlation between androgyny and psychological health.
What did Prakash et al. find regarding androgyny and health outcomes?
Found that androgynous individuals scored better on measures of physical health, depression, and anxiety.
Those with strong masculine and feminine traits had better health outcomes.
What is the significance of Sandra Bem’s research in 1974?
Tested over 1000 students and found that androgyny is not uncommon, with 34% of males and 27% of females identified as androgynous.
High reliability of the test implies it produces meaningful results applicable to real-life settings.
What does the rating scale in the BSRI consist of?
60 traits: 20 masculine, 20 feminine, and 20 neutral.
This produces scores across two independent dimensions: masculinity and femininity.
True or False: Androgynous individuals are more comfortable with their gender identity.
True
They are less likely to suppress their traits and expectations.
What is cognitive schema theory in relation to gender roles?
It explains how sex-role schemas are transmitted to other members of a culture, such as boys being discouraged from showing feminine traits.
This theory highlights cultural influences on gender behavior.
Fill in the blank: High self-esteem is associated with scoring high on both _______ and _______ traits.
masculine; feminine
Individuals scoring high on both traits tend to have higher self-esteem.
