Sex-role-related differences in self-concept and mental health

Examined the differences in serf-concept and psychological health between androgynous, sex-typed, cross-sex-typed, and undifferentiated males and females. Two hundred forty-nine students who were enrolled in introductory psychology classes were classified according to sex type on the basis of their scores on the Bem Sex-Role Inventory. Nine aspects of self-concept and five aspects of psychological health, obtained, from the Tennessee Self-Concept Scale, were analyzed as a function of Sex and Sex Type. A series of analyses of variance and subsequent individual comparisons across groups revealed a clear pattern wherein androgynous subjects manifested more positive self-concepts and more positive psychological health than sex-typed subjects. Undifferentiated subjects manifested the poorest self-concepts, while results for sex-typed and cross-sex-typed subjects varied more as a function of the sex of the subject. The data are discussed as appearing to be consistent with Bem's hypothesis that androgynous people may represent a more appropriate societal definition of mental health than strongly sex-typed people. Qualifications of this support are also discussed.