WOMEN, MEN, AND INTIMACY MOTIVATION

Using a projective method with college students, this study assessed sex differences in the motivation to share personal concerns in a friendship context. As expected, women were found to be significantly more likely than men to imagine that they would confide worries to a friend (Intimacy Imagery). Women's Intimacy Imagery stories included positive outcomes significantly more often than did men's Intimacy Imagery stories, and the theme of self-enhancement as a consequence of confiding occurred in one-quarter of the women's Intimacy Imagery stories and in none of the men's. For men, Intimacy Imagery was associated with high social confidence and a strong preference for confiding in women. For women, stories suggesting avoidance of confiding or anxiety around confiding were associated with low social confidence.     

The Structure of Sexual Orientation and its Relation to Masculinity,Femininity, and Gender Diagnosticity: Different for Men and Women

Three hundred ninety-four college students (148 men and 246 women; 42% White, 25% Hispanic, and 23% Asian) were assessed on masculine instrumentality (M), feminine expressiveness (F), gender diagnosticity (GD), and the Big Five personality traits (Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, and Openness). Participants completed a 16-item sexual behavior and attitude questionnaire that asked about their attraction to men, their attraction to women, their degree of emotional commitment in sexual relationships, their level of sex drive, and their interest in visual sexual stimuli and fantasy. Factor analysis of sexual behavior and attitude items for men showed four factors: Bipolar Sexual Orientation, Emotional Commitment, Sex Drive, and Sexual Fantasy. Factor analysis of items for women showed four somewhat different factors: Homosexuality, Heterosexuality, Emotional Commitment, and Sex Drive. Thus, sexual orientation proved to be bipolar for men, but two-dimensional for women. For men, Sexual Orientation correlated most strongly with GD, less with M, and not at all with F. Among women, there were few significant correlations between personality measures and Homosexuality or Heterosexuality.     

Race-related stress,quality of life indicators,and life satisfaction among elderly African Americans

This article examined the relationships among race-related stress, quality of life indicators, and life satisfaction among elderly African Americans. A sample of 127 elderly African Americans, consisting of 87 women and 26 men (and 14 missing values), were administered the Index of Race-Related Stress, the Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey. Results indicated that elderly African American men and women differed significantly with regard to institutional and collective racism-related stress. In addition, the authors found that institutional racism-related stress was a significant predictor of psychological health in this sample of elderly African Americans.     

Convergent and discriminant validity of the Marital Disillusionment Scale

The Marital Disillusionment Scale, together with measures of divorce proneness, marital disaffection, work addiction, sensation seeking, intimacy, and marital satisfaction (using the subscales Marital Disharmony and Disaffection), was administered to 116 married people (42 men, 74 women) in a university town in the western USA. Scores on the Marital Disillusionment Scale had significant positive correlations with scores on the Marital Instability Scale (r = .54), the Marital Disaffection Scale (r = .72), and the two subscales Disharmony (r = .53) and Disaffection (r = .75) of the eMarital Satisfaction Inventory. Scores for the Marital Disillusionment Scale were negatively correlated with those for the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships Inventory (r = -.65) but were not significantly associated with scores for the Work Addiction Risk Test and the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale. The results support the convergent and discriminant validity of the Marital Disillusionment Scale.     

How Close Are We? Measuring Intimacy and Examining Gender Differences

Many theorists agree that intimacy is a multidimensional concept consisting of several specific components: love and affection, personal validation, trust, and self‐disclosure. In this investigation, the authors tried to determine if 3 popular intimacy measures actually assess these 4 components and to see if women and men differ in their experiences of intimacy. Three hundred and sixty undergraduates completed the Miller Social Intimacy Scale (R. S. Miller & H. M. Lefcourt, 1982), the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships Scale (M. T. Schaefer & D. H. Olson, 1981), and the Fear of Intimacy Scale (C. J. Descutner & M. H. Thelen, 1991). Results of factor analyses supported the 4 specific components of intimacy. Multivariate analysis of variance results corroborated that women and men did vary in their experiences of intimacy.     

Religiosity, health, and well-being among Kuwaiti personnel

In a sample of 424 Kuwaiti personnel (219 men, 205 women; M age = 37.6 yr., SD = 8.9; M age = 33.4 yr., SD = 7.9, respectively), self-ratings of religiosity were significantly and positively correlated with the self-ratings of physical health, mental health, and happiness, as well as the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Love of Life Scale, and the Satisfaction with Life Scale among men and women. Principal components analysis of the correlation matrix yielded only one salient factor labeled "Well-being, health and religiosity" that explained 52.7% and 56.5% of the variance for men and women, respectively. Religiosity is an important element in the lives of the majority of the present sample of Kuwaiti Muslim employees.     

Associations among job satisfaction, optimism, pessimism, and psychosomatic symptoms for employees in the government sector in Kuwait

The present study examined associations among job satisfaction and optimism, pessimism, and psychosomatic symptoms in a sample of 718 Kuwaiti employees (350 men and 368 women). Men scored significantly higher than women on both the scales of Job Satisfaction and Optimism, while women scored significantly higher than men on both scales for Pessimism and Psychosomatic Symptoms. Job satisfaction scores correlated significantly and positively with Optimism scores and negatively with Pessimism scores. There was also a significant negative correlation between scores on Optimism and Pessimism, and a significant negative correlation between scores on Optimism and Psychosomatic symptoms. Results were discussed within the Kuwaiti context.     

Sex differences in perceived outcomes of electronic mail interactions

Researchers have found that sex plays a crucial role in perceptions of usability, graphical accents, and general satisfaction within computer-mediated interactions. 192 students (71 men and 121 women) responded to 12 items taken from the Electronic Mail Outcome Scale related to their perceived Appropriateness, Effectiveness, and Satisfaction obtained through electronic mail interactions. Analysis indicated no significant differences between men and women in reference to either Effectiveness or Satisfaction; however, women were more sensitive to social expectations within electronic mail interactions than men.     

Hardiness and major personality factors.

This study tested Maddi and Khoshaba's 1994 hypothesis that Hardiness is an index of mental health. A sample of 241 undergraduates (103 men and 138 women) completed the Dispositional Resilience Scale, the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, and the Psychopathology-5 Scales. Using the individual median scores on the three subscales (Commitment, Control, and Challenge) of the Dispositional Resilience Scale, the High Hardiness group was obtained by identifying the individuals who scored above the medians on all the three subscales, whereas the Low Hardiness group were those who scored consistently below the medians on all the three subscales. Multivariate analysis of variance performed for the two hardiness groups using the scales from each personality inventory indicated that the two groups had significantly different mean profiles on the NEO Personality Inventory as well as the Psychopathology-5 Scales. Combined discriminant function analysis performed for the two hardiness groups using all the 10 scales from the two personality inventories indicated that the two groups had significantly different mean profiles and that the standard discriminant function coefficients were substantial (> .3) for the NEO Personality Inventory Openness (.65) and Conscientiousness (.49) scales and the Psychopathology-5 Positive Emotionality (.56) and Psychoticism (-.36) scales, supporting the tested hypothesis.     

Central issue importance as a function of gender and ethnicity

A recent theoretical model of centrality (Bernstein, 1987; Bernstein, Hofmann, Santiago, & Diebolt, 1989) suggests that the importance attached to certain “central issues” may increase the vulnerability of individuals to distress and depression, and may explain the differential rates of depression among gender, racial, and ethnic groups. The present study was designed to examine the importance of central issues as reported by Anglo, Black, and Hispanic men and women (N=169). Multivariate analyses revealed significant gender, ethnicity, and gender X ethnicity effects. Specifically, women considered Intimacy significantly more important than did men, whereas men attached more importance than women to Affiliation. Anglos rated Achievement significantly higher than did Hispanics and Blacks; Hispanics considered Affiliation more important than the other two groups; and Blacks considered Intimacy the least important among the groups. Moreover, Hispanic men attributed significantly greater importance to Change, Adventure, and Control, whereas Hispanic women attached the least significance among all the groups to Control. The results are discussed in terms of cultural influences on sex role orientation and central issues, and the process by which culture and ethnicity may be related to vulnerability to depression and distress.     

Central issue importance as a function of gender and ethnicity

A recent theoretical model of centrality (Bernstein, 1987; Bernstein, Hofmann, Santiago, & Diebolt, 1989) suggests that the importance attached to certain “central issues” may increase the vulnerability of individuals to distress and depression, and may explain the differential rates of depression among gender, racial, and ethnic groups. The present study was designed to examine the importance of central issues as reported by Anglo, Black, and Hispanic men and women (N=169). Multivariate analyses revealed significant gender, ethnicity, and gender X ethnicity effects. Specifically, women considered Intimacy significantly more important than did men, whereas men attached more importance than women to Affiliation. Anglos rated Achievement significantly higher than did Hispanics and Blacks; Hispanics considered Affiliation more important than the other two groups; and Blacks considered Intimacy the least important among the groups. Moreover, Hispanic men attributed significantly greater importance to Change, Adventure, and Control, whereas Hispanic women attached the least significance among all the groups to Control. The results are discussed in terms of cultural influences on sex role orientation and central issues, and the process by which culture and ethnicity may be related to vulnerability to depression and distress.     

Daily Hassles,Intimacy, and Marital Quality in Later Life Marriages

This study addressed the relationship between daily stress, intimacy, and marital quality in mature marriages in which the ages of husbands and wives ranged from 55 to 75 years. Four hundred and seventy-two individuals married to each other and randomly sampled from all fifty states completed the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale, the Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships, and the Hassles and Uplifts Scale. Findings indicated that daily stress was negatively related to marital quality for both wives and husbands, and that intimacy mediated the relationship between stress and marital quality for both husbands and wives. Implications for marriage and family therapy practice are explored.     

Measuring effective functioning in the elderly: an application of Erikson's theory

This study seeks to assess effective functioning within Erikson's epigenetic theory of development, in a sample of 143 Elderhostel participants who were administered the Inventory of Psychosocial Balance (IPB) and the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) Self-Realization (Sr) scale. A correlational analysis indicated no major systematic sex differences, but significant intercorrelations between the IPB scales and the Self-Realization scale. Multiple regression analyses indicated that in men, Trust is the most important variable, with Generativity and Intimacy yielding negative weights, whereas for women, Identity is the major component, with Industry, Autonomy, Generativity, and Trust yielding negative weights. The results support the utility of the IPB as a vehicle to study psychosocial development in the elderly.     

Sex differences in performance on three novel continuous response tasks

The Dynavision apparatus was used to assess psychomotor differences between men and women first-time users. Subjects, 50 men and 76 women, were tested on three 60-sec. Dynavision response tasks of graded difficulty. An analysis of variance with repeated measures indicated that men performed significantly better than women on all tasks. Performances on all tasks were also significantly different from each other within both sexes (p < or = .05). Furthermore, a significant interaction between sex and task was based on a greater drop in performance on the most complex task for women than for men.     

Measuring Effective Functioning in the Elderly: An Application of Erikson's Theory

This study seeks to assess effective functioning within Erikson's epigenetic theory of development, in a sample of 143 Elderhostel participants who were administered the Inventory of Psychosocial Balance (IPB) and the California Psychological. Inventory (CPI) Self-Realization (Sr) scale. A correlational analysis indicated no major systematic sex differences, but significant intercorrelations between the IPB scales and the Self-Realization scale. Multiple regression analyses indicated that in men, Trust is the most important variable, with Generativity and Intimacy yielding negative weights, whereas for women, Identity is the major component, with Industry, Autonomy, Generativity, and Trust yielding negative weights. The results support the utility of the IPB as a vehicle to study psychosocial development in the elderly.     

Test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity of the Farsi version of the Oxford Happiness Inventory

This study examined the reliability and preliminary evidence for validity of a Farsi (Persian) version of the Oxford Happiness Inventory with 309 undergraduate students (161 women and 148 men). Participants completed the Farsi versions of four subscales of the Oxford Happiness Inventory, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Depression-Happiness Scale. Analyses indicated that the Farsi version of the Oxford Happiness Scale has reliability as a measure of well-being and provided some preliminary evidence of construct validity.     

Motivation and the Self Concept: Persisting Goals of Young Women and Men

This study undertook to measure important goals and their persistence over time for young men and women belonging to two age groups using a theoretical framework derived from recent advances in motivation which links motivation to the self concept. A method for categorising subject goals was adapted from Nuttin (1985), namely the Motivational Content Analysis. The new system for categorising goals can be useful to psychologists, vocational counsellors, etc. Results of the study indicated that females had more persisting goals than men, and that there were significant main effects for sex in persisting goal types of Physical, Character, Autonomy, Intimacy and Contact in General with others. Sex × age interaction effects were found for Character and Autonomy, with 20-year-old females obtaining significantly higher scores for these persisting goals than other groups. Findings are discussed in terms of gender identity, and what Nuttin (1984) calls “crossroads” in adult development.     

The Relationship of Developmental Tasks to Life Satisfaction, Moral Reasoning, and Occupational Attainment at Age 28

This study was conducted to empirically investigate the relationship of several developmental tasks to the developmental outcomes of Life Satisfaction, Moral Reasoning, and Occupational Attainment at age 28. Structured retrospective interviews of 62 Midwestern men and women in their late twenties were converted to variable scores and submitted to quantitative analyses. The results indicated differing patterns of influence on each of the outcomes, clarifying the relative importance of each developmental task, and also highlighting the multi-faceted nature of human development.     

Empirical testing of the Satisfaction With Life Scale: a South African pilot study

To explore applicability of the Satisfaction With Life Scale in a different racial and cultural context (South Africa), a questionnaire containing items on basic demographic characteristics, the 5-item Satisfaction With Life Scale, and the 10-item Rosenberg Self-esteem scale, was administered to a small convenient sample of 34 Black (13 men and 21 women) and 20 White (9 men and 11 women) South Africans aged between 17 and 70 years. As expected, Black respondents were less likely to have completed high school than White respondents and were more likely to be unemployed. Factor analysis of the Satisfaction With Life Scale (coefficient alpha of .92) yielded a single factor, accounting for 76% of the variance. Mean differences of the two groups were not significant when education and employment status were controlled. As anticipated, Life Satisfaction scores were correlated .86 with rated Self-esteem. Given the very small convenient sample, results are consistent with robust findings in western countries and encourage replication on a larger, representative sample.     

Intimacy Motivation and Subjective Mental Health in a Nationwide Sample

Over 1,200 adults in a representative nationwide sample were administered the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and an unstructured interview which produced 25 measures of subjective mental health and ultimately six factor scores: unhappiness, lack of gratification, strain, feelings of vulnerability, lack of self-confidence, and uncertainty. The TATs were scored for intimacy motivation (McAdams, 1980)--a recurrent preference or readiness for experiences of warm, close, and communicative interaction with others. Controlling for age, education, and their interaction, high intimacy motivation in women was associated with greater happiness and gratification, whereas in men it was associated with lack of strain and lack of uncertainty. Women high in intimacy motivation who were living alone reported lower levels of gratification and more uncertainty in their lives than other women. Intimacy motivation also declined significantly over the life span for women, but not for men. Finally, demographic effects on intimacy motivation were examined. Controlling for age, education, and their interaction, professional men (e.g., doctors, lawyers, and teachers) scored higher on intimacy motivation than did men in other occupational categories, while among women the occupational groups with highest intimacy motivation were service workers and craftspersons.