The long-term goal of our research program is to build and test a cognitive-social psychological model of female-male relations. Central to this framework are three individual-level hypothetical constructs, gender identity, sex stereotypes, and gender related attitudes, each of which is construed as comprising multiple components. The overall aim of our work is to reliably measure these multiple components, to assess the within-person as well as aggregate level of covariation within and between the multicomponented concepts, and to link these variables to antecedents and to consequences. During the current grant period, we developed a broadened conceptualization for sex stereotyped, and measured the """"""""thinking about the sexes"""""""" of each of a sample of college sophomores. In the present proposal, we turn our attention to gender identity (provisionally defined as how the individual takes the social construction of gender and the biological fact of sex and incorporates these into a personal identity). For each of the participants in the current project, five components of gender identity will be assessed: (1) material/physical self; (2) symbolic and stylistic behavior; (3) abilities and interests; (4) personal- social attributes; (5) self in social relationships. Contrary to many current models of """"""""sex-role orientation"""""""" and """"""""sex typing,"""""""" it is expected that, at na aggregate level, these components will only be modestly interconnected. Next, the multiple components of gender identity will be correlated with the content specific measures of thinking about the sexes and gender-related attitudes, and, again, only moderate covariation is expected. Finally, the hypothesized causes and consequences of gender identity as a multiplicity will be investigated. The mental and physical health implications of the proposed multiplicity model of individual-level gender constructs are great. Two examples: (1) By assessing separately the physical/material component of gender identity, our study sets the stage for a detailed analysis of how certain individuals' definition of femininity may predispose them to eating disorders; (2) By measuring multiple aspects of gender identity and sex stereotypes we can pinpoint which components impact (in some cases in a restrictive way) planning for post-college roles.
