Personality Differences and Sex Similarities in American and Indonesian College Students

Abstract

Male-female personality differences have been assumed but seldom empirically demonstrated. American and Indonesian college students were assessed for personality traits by the Cattell Clinical Analysis Questionnaire in the appropriate language. Predicted differences based on culture and nationality were found. Despite the cultural differences, similar sex differences were also found. Women of both groups were higher than their male counterparts on warmth, emotionality, prudence, sensitivity, and conformity; men were higher than their counterparts on emotional stability, dominance, and impulsivity. These findings support Chodorow's theory of universal differences in male and female personalities based on the universal role of the woman as the caretaker of the young.