Self-Concept and Sex-Role Orientation: An Investigation of Multidimensional Aspects of Personality Development in Adolescence.

Abstract

A total of 354 6th through 12th grade adolescents completed both a measure of self-concept and a revised version of the Bem Sex Role Inventory in order to assess relationships between sex-role orientation and self-concept during adolescence. It was hypothesized that sex-role orientation and self-concept were systematically related multi-dimensional aspects of personality. The results confirmed the major hypotheses. Overall, Masculine and Androgynous adolescents scored significantly higher than did Feminine and Undifferentiated adolescents on the instrumental self-concept dimension of Achievement/Leadership. In contrast, Feminine and Androgynous adolescents scored significantly higher than their Masculine and Undifferentiated peers on the expressive self-concept dimension of Congeniality/Sociability. Feminine adolescents exhibited significantly higher adjustment self-concepts than did their Undifferentiated peers, but both groups scored lower on this aspect of self-concept than did Androgynous and Masculine adolescents. Finally, on the dimension of Masculinity/Femininity, Masculine adolescents scored significantly higher, and Feminine adolescents significantly lower, than did their Androgynous and Undifferentiated peers. Regression analyses indicated a significant Masculinity component for the instrumental, and a significant Femininity component for the expressive, dimension of self-concept. In addition, only Masculinity contributed significantly to the regression predicting overall Adjustment scores. No age differences emerged from any of the analyses. The results illustrate the utility of the notion that self-concept and sex-role orientation are multidimensional constructs.