& Stapp, 1974). By using the median score on each scale as a cutoff point, re-
searchers can place people into one of four sex-type categories, as shown inFigure 14.2. Those who score high in both masculinity and femininity are
classified as androgynous. People scoring high on one scale but not the other
fall into either the masculine orfeminine category. Those who score low on
both scales are classified as undifferentiated.
Gender Type and Psychological Well-Being
The androgyny model was born out of a belief that possessing both masculine
and feminine characteristics was important for psychological well-being. But
how has that assumption held up under the scrutiny of research? In addition
to the androgyny model, two other explanations for the relation between gen-
der type and well-being have been proposed and tested.
The first explanation is the traditional congruence model. According to
this account, masculine men and feminine women are the most well adjusted.
Although this approach reflects old-fashioned attitudes and may even border
on sexism, a case can be made. Think about all the pressure society puts on
men and women to act in gender-appropriate ways. What can we concludeabout people who emerge from this socialization without developing the gen-
der type dictated by society? Perhaps they are merely liberated from the re-
straints society attempts to place on them. But remember rewards andpunishments for gender-appropriate behavior begin in childhood and con-
tinue into adulthood. Society is geared to give masculine men and feminine
women most of the rewards in life, whereas masculine women and feminine
men face social rejection and possibly ridicule. We might therefore expect
gender-congruent individuals to be the happiest and most content. Although
this reasoning makes some sense, researchers rarely find support for the con-
gruence model (Taylor & Hall, 1982; Whitley, 1983).
The second explanation, the masculinity model, maintains that being
masculine is the key to mental health. Before rejecting this view as masculinepropaganda, consider that in many ways our society is still geared toward
admiring and rewarding the traits traditionally associated with men andAndrogynous Feminine
Masculine UndifferentiatedHigh
High
LowLowMasculinity
Femininity
FIGURE 14.2 Androgyny Model380 CHAPTER 14 The Behavioral/Social Learning Approach