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Sex differences and androgyny in fantasy content
1Dept. of Psychology, The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109, USA.
Journal of Personality Assessment
|December 1, 1978
Summary
This study on undergraduate fantasy stories reveals persistent sex differences in content, with women showing increased self-assertion and career focus compared to earlier research. Sex-typed individuals exhibited more restricted fantasies.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Gender Studies
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Understanding the psychological underpinnings of gender roles and their manifestation in creative thought.
- Examining the evolution of sex differences in fantasy content over time.
- Investigating the relationship between personality types (sex-typed vs. androgynous) and fantasy production.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the content of fantasy stories produced by undergraduates.
- To identify and compare sex differences in fantasy imagery.
- To explore how sex-typing and androgyny relate to fantasy characteristics.
Main Methods:
- 153 undergraduates (93 female, 60 male) composed fantasy stories.
- Participants completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory.
- Fantasy stories were collected via a Thematic Apperception Test and content-analyzed across 17 imagery categories.
Main Results:
- Significant sex differences were observed in ten imagery categories.
- Compared to historical data, women's fantasies showed increased self-assertive, pleasurable, and career-oriented themes.
- Sex-typed individuals produced fantasies that were more situation-bound and sexual than those of androgynous individuals.
Conclusions:
- Substantial continuity in sex differences in fantasy content persists from earlier decades to the mid-1970s.
- Modern female fantasies exhibit evolving themes of empowerment and ambition.
- Sex-typed individuals may face cognitive limitations in fantasy, mirroring behavioral constraints.
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