Toward a Positive Developmental Psychology of Femininity: Feminine Strengths

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Toward a Positive Developmental Psychology of
Femininity Feminine Strengths

• MaryLou F. Worthen, U of Phoenix
• Meredith G. F. Worthen, U of Texas
• SRHD 2006, Fort Worth,TX

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Problem Negative Reputations

• Psychology as disease model
• Femininity as weakness
• Positive Psychology
• Character strengths

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Purposes

• Identify facets of Femininity
• Determine a developmental order
• Connect with Positive Psychology
• Field test Feminine Strengths

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Determining Femininities

• Shepherds Eight Feminine facets
• Gender Tests by Spence and Bem
• The ninth Femininity

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Determining Developmental Sequence

• Macroscopic (Lifespan)
• Womens Ways of Knowing
• Microscopic (Experienced Event)
• Kenneth Dodge
• Nira Granott

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The Developmental Sequence of the Femininities

• Receptivity
• Feelings
• Subjectivity
• Intuition
• Multiplicity
• Relatedness
• Nurturing
• Cooperation
• Cyclicity

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Positive Psychology Character Strengths

• Openness
• Vitality/Feeling Alive
• Integrity
• Creativity and Perspective
• Fairness
• Valuing close relationships
• Kindness/Nurturance
• Responsibility and self-regulation
• Appreciating patterns in nature and
  future-mindedness

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Studies of the Femininities

• Participants
• Middle SES, 44 years old, 24 to 78 years
• Study 1 -- 47 business women
• Study 2 77 female crafters
• Measures
• Study 1 9 multiple choice items
• Study 2 18 multiple choice, 1 fill-in

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Example Items

• Feelings and emotions are
• Intuition and the 6th sense are
• Competition and win/lose are
• Cooperation and consensus are
• The justice, right/wrong ethic is
• Nurturing, helping and care are

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Table 1. Strengths Chosen as Feminine/Not
Masculine

• Feminine Study 1 Study 2 Combined w/o
• Strengths N 46 N 77 Outliers N111
• Receptivity 100 97 100
• Feelings 97 96 100
• Subjectivity 75 95 100
• Intuition 97 98 100
• Multiplicity 95 97 100
• Relatedness 82 92 100
• Nurturing 100 99 100
• Cooperation 82 99 100
• Cyclicity 75 84 88

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Future Directions

• PR concerning Cyclicity
• More participants/ more data
• Male participants
• Relating the Feminine Strengths to positive
  psychological outcomes