Androgyny and BSRI

• Androgyny - possessing a combination of high levels of both masculine and feminine traits within one’s personality
• Bem claimed androgyny was beneficial for psychological wellbeing.

  This was challenged by Woodhills and Sammuels:

  Having a combination of positive masculine and feminine traits led to high levels of psychological wellbeing, however having a combination of negative masculine and feminine traits led to low levels of psychological wellbeing
• Procedure

  • 50 male and female judges rated 200 behavioural terms for how desirable they were for females vs males
  • from this, Bem used the top 20 traits for males and females, and 20 neutral terms = 60 in total
  • assessed on a 7 point scale
  • gives a classification of either masculine, feminine, androgynous or undifferentiated
• Findings

  • 34% of males were androgynous
  • 27% of females were androgynous
• Bem's predictions

  • In Western culture, boys are encouraged to inhibit their 'feminine' side and girls are encouraged to inhibit their 'masculine' side
  • Argued those who are androgynous are more psychologically healthy becauses they feel more comfortable with who they are, in spite of societal expectations about how they 'should' act
  • androgynous people are not suppressing any part of themselves to fit in
  • Allows people to handle situations more flexibly, according to the situation