Adolescent fantasy and self-fulfillment: the problem of female passivity

A detailed analysis is reported of essays written by teenagers from two independent schools (120 of each sex) in response to the opening sentence: "Today is my eightieth birthday and I look back to the day I left school." Predictably the girls were orientated toward marriage and family life, and were somewhat less career-minded than the boys. They were also less politically aware, and saw hobbies as a luxury for their retirement and not as an integral part of life. Essentially they differed from the boys in being ready to live through others rather than on their own terms. These findings are interpreted in the light of Freud's distinction between passivity and the pursuit of a passive aim, which may call for well directed activity.