Publication Date

4-1978

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Retta Poe, David Shiek, Lois Layne

Degree Program

Department of Psychology

Degree Type

Master of Arts

Abstract

The "Total Woman" philosophy and previous research concerning the development of sex-roles, androgyny, how women view themselves and personality differences in group members were reviewed. Since no previous research on the personality variables and the sex-role classification of "Total Woman" participants had been reported, an exploratory study was undertaken. In order to assess personality variables the Personality Research Form-E was administered to 67 "Total Woman" participants from two southern cities. The "Total Woman" subjects were found to have a significantly higher need for Harmavoidance and a significantly lower need for Autonomy, Change, Play and Understanding than the norm group. The Bern Sex-Role Inventory was employed to classify the subjects as masculine, feminine, androgynous and undifferentiated. It was determined that among the "Total Woman" participants there were significantly more "feminine" and significantly fewer "masculine" and "undifferentiated" women than among women in the norm group. The percentage of "Total Woman" women classified as androgynous was not significantly different from the norm group. An attempt was made to integrate the results of the two personality instruments, and possible interpretations of the data were suggested. Finally, directions for future research were proposed.

Disciplines

Arts and Humanities | Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Psychology | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Sociology | Women's Studies

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