Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The relationship between instrumental and expressive traits, health behaviors, and perceived physical health

  • Published:
Sex Roles Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Relations between instrumental and expressive traits, health behaviors, and self-reported physical health were examined among young adults. Individuals (169 men, 167 women) completed two measures of instrumental and expressive traits, the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) and the Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ). Ethnic background of the sample included 72% European Americans, 13% Latin Americans, 6% Asian Americans, 5% African Americans, less than 1% Native American, and 4% did not specify a particular category. Expressive traits from the BSRI, and expressive and instrumental traits from the PAQ were associated with health behaviors, after controlling for neuroticism. Neuroticism explained 43% of the variance in perceived physical health. Separation of individuals into four groups on the basis of instrumental and expressive traits showed that androgynous individuals reported significantly better health practices than other individuals providing support for the androgyny model.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Andersen, M., & Lobel, M. (1995). Predictors of health self-appraisal: What's involved in feeling healthy?Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 16(1–2), 121–136.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baffi, C. R., Redican, K. J., Sefchick, M. K., & Impara, J. (1991). Gender role identity, gender role stress, and health behaviors: An exploratory study of college men.Health Values. Health Behaviors Education and Promotion, 15(1), 9–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1974). The measurement of psychological androgyny.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 42(2), 155–162.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1975). Sex role adaptability: One consequence of psychological androgyny.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 31 634–643.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bem, S. L. (1985). Androgyny and gender schema theory: A conceptual and empirical integration. In T. B. Sonderegger (Ed.),Nebraska symposium on motivation 1984: Psychology and gender (Vol. 32). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, L., & Breslow, L. (1983).Health and ways of living: The Alameda county study. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brems, C., & Johnson, M. E. (1989). Problem-solving appraisal and coping style: The influence of sex-role orientation and gender.The Journal of Psychology, 123(2), 187–194.

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control. (1994). Health-risk behaviors among persons aged 12–21 years—United States, 1992.JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 271(17), 1311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cline, D. W., & Chosey, J. J. (1972). A prospective study of life changes and subsequent health changes.Archives of General Psychiatry, 27 51–53.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cohn, L. D., Macfarlane, S., Yanez, C., & Imai, W. K. (1995). Risk-perception: Differences between adolescents and adults.Health Psychology, 14(3), 217–222.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P. T., & McCrae, R. R. (1985). Hypochondriasis, neuroticism, and aging: When are somatic complaints unfounded?American Psychologist, 40 19–28.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Costa, P. T. Jr., & McCrae, R. R. (1987). Role of neuroticism in the perception and presentation of chest pain symptoms and coronary artery disease. In J. W. Elias and P. H. Marshall's (Ed.)Cardiovascular disease and behavior: Series in health psychology and behavioral medicine (pp. 39–66). Washington, DC: Hemisphere Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davis, C., Fox, J., Brewer, H., & Ratusny, D. (1995). Motivations to exercise as a function of personality characteristics, age, and gender.Personality and Individual Differences, 19(2), 165–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Desertrain, G. S., & Weiss, M. R. (1988). Being female and athletic: A cause for conflict?Sex Roles, 18 567–582.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dill, A., Brown, P., Ciambrone, D., & Rakowski, W. (1995). The meaning and practice of self-care by older adults: A qualitative assessment.Research on Aging, 17(1), 8–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Downey, A. M. (1985). The relationship of sex role orientation to self-perceived health status in middle-aged men.Sex Roles, 11 211–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunn, D. S. (1994). Positive meaning and illusions following disability: Reality negotiation, normative interpretation, and value change.Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 9(5), 123–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eisler, R. M., Skidmore, J. R., & Ward, C. H. (1988). Masculine gender role stress: Predictor of anger, anxiety and health-risk behaviors.Journal of Personality Assessment, 52 133–141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Evans, R. I., Turner, S. H., Ghee, K. L., & Getz, J. G. (1990). Is androgynous sex role related to cigarette smoking in adolescents?Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 20 494–505.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. (1975).Manual of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. London: Hodder and Stroughton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fielding, J. (1987). Health promotion and disease prevention at the worksite. In R. Bellingham & B. Cohen (Eds.),The corporate wellness sourcebook. Amherst, MA: Development Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Furnham, A., & Radley, S. (1989). Sex differences in the perception of men and women body shapes.Personality and Individual Differences, 10 653–662.

    Google Scholar 

  • Helgeson, V. S. (1991). The effects of masculinity and social support on recovery from myocardial infarction.Psychosomatic Medicine, 53 621–633.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hooker, K., & Kaus, C. R. (1992). Possible selves and health behaviors in later life.Journal of Aging and Health, 4(3), 390–411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hull, J. G., Tedlie, J. C., & Lehn, D. A. (1995). Modeling the relation of personality variables to symptom complaints: The unique role of negative affectivity. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.)Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues and applications (pp. 217–235). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Idler, E. L., & Kasl, S. (1991). Health perceptions and survival: Do global evaluations of health status really predict mortality?Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences, 46 S55-S65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jorgensen, R. S., & Richards, S. C. (1989). Negative affect and the reporting of physical symptoms among college students.Journal of Counseling Psychology, 36 501–504.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kimlicka, T. A., Sheppard, J. M., Sheppard, P. L., & Wakefield, J. A. Jr. (1988). The relationship between Eysenck's personality dimensions and Bem's masculinity and femininity scales.Personality and Individual Differences, 2(4), 833–835.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kirk, R. E. (1982).Experimental design: Procedures for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). California: Brooks/Cole.

    Google Scholar 

  • Klonoff, E. A., & Landrine, H. (1992). Sex roles, occupational roles, and symptom reporting: A test of competing hypotheses on sex differences.Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 5(4), 355–364.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lancelot, C., & Kaslow, N. J. (1994). Sex role orientation and disordered eating in women: A review.Clinical Psychology Review, 14(2), 139–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larsen, R. (1992). Neuroticism and selective encoding and recall of symptoms: Evidence from a combined concurrent-retrospective study.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 62(3), 480–488.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Markstrom-Adams, C. (1989). Androgyny and its relation to adolescent psychosocial wellbeing: A review of the literature.Sex Roles, 21 325–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Marx, M. B., Garrity, T. F., & Bowers, F. R. (1975). The influence of recent life experience on the health of college freshmen.Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 19 87–98.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pei-Hui, R. A., & Ward, C. (1994). A cross-cultural perspective on models of psychological androgyny.Journal of Social Psychology, 134(3), 391–393.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rankin, S. H. (1995). Going it alone: Women managing recovery from acute myocardial infarction.Family and Community Health, 17(4), 50–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sachs, R., Chrisler, J. C., & Devlin, A. S. (1992). Biographic and personal characteristics of women in management.Journal of Vocational Behavior, 41(1), 89–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scheier, M. F., Carver, C. S., & Bridges, M. W. (1994). Distinguishing optimism from neuroticism (and trait anxiety, self-mastery, and self-esteem): A reevaluation of the life orientation test.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(6), 1063–1078.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Shifren, K., Bauserman, R. L., & Carter, D. B. (1993). Gender role orientation and physical health: A study among young adults.Sex Roles, 29 421–432.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shifren, K., Furnham, A., & Bauserman, R. L. (1996).Instrumental, expressive traits and eating disorders: A comparison between American and British students. Manuscript under review.

  • Spence, J. T. (1991). Do the BSRI and the PAQ measure the same or different concepts?Psychology of Women Quarterly, 15 141–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T. (1993). Gender-related traits and gender ideology: Evidence for a multifactorial theory.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(4), 624–635.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T. (1985). Gender identity and its implications for concepts of masculinity and femininity. In T. B. Sonderegger (Ed.),Nebraska symposium on motivation 1984: Psychology and gender (Vol. 32). Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. T., Helmreich, R., & Stapp, J. (1974). The Personal Attributes Questionnaire: A measure of sex-role stereotypes and masculinity-femininity.JSAS Catalog of Selected Documents in Psychology, 4 43–44, MS617.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, M. C., & Hall, J. A. (1982). Psychological androgyny: Theories, methods and conclusions.Psychological Bulletin, 92(2), 347–366.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tinsley, E. G., Sullivan-Guest, S., & McGuire, J. (1984). Feminine sex role and depression in middle-aged women.Sex Roles, 11 25–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Verbrugge, L. M. (1989). The twain meet: Empirical explanations of sex differences in health and mortality.Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 30(3), 282–304.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Verbrugge, L. M. (1985). Gender and health: An update on hypotheses and evidence.Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 26 156–182.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Vingerhoets, A. J., Croon, M., Jeninga, A. J., & Menges, L. J. (1990). Personality and health habits.Psychology and Health, 4(4), 333–342.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webster, R. A., Hunter, M., & Keats, J. A. (1994). Personality and sociodemographic influences on adolescents' substance use: A path analysis.International Journal of the Addictions, 29(7), 941–956.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wech, B. A. (1983). Sex role orientation, stress, and subsequent health status demonstrated by two scoring procedures for Bem's scale.Psychological Reports, 52 69–70.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Welkowitz, J., Ewen, R. B., & Cohen, J. (1982).Introductory statistics for the behavioral sciences (3rd Ed) (pp. 275–285). New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, B. E. Jr. (1985). Sex role orientation and psychological well-being: Two meta-analyses.Sex Roles, 12 207–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitley, B.E. Jr., & Gridley, B. E. (1993). Sex role orientation, self-esteem, and depression: A latent variables analysis.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 19(4), 363–369.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, R. L., Thomas, S. P., Young, D. O., Jozwiak, J. J., & Hector, M. A. (1991). Development of a health habits scale.Research in Nursing and Health, 14 145–153.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Zeldow, P. B., Clark, D. C., Daugherty, S. R., & Eckenfels, E. J. (1985). Personality indications of psychosocial adjustment in first-year medical students.Social Science and Medicine, 20(1), 95–100.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ziegler, C. B., Dusek, J. B., & Carter, D. B. (1984). Self-concept and sex role orientation: An investigation of multidimensional aspects of personality development in adolescence.Journal of Early Adolescence, 4 25–39.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Michigan, 300 North Ingalls, RM 900, 48109, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Kim Shifren & Robert L. Bauserman

Authors
  1. Kim Shifren
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Robert L. Bauserman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

This study was conducted while the authors were at the University of Florida. The authors would like to thank reviewers for their helpful comments regarding this manuscript. The authors are grateful for the recommendations to change the statistical analyses to provide a stronger basis for the statements made in the discussion section of this paper.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shifren, K., Bauserman, R.L. The relationship between instrumental and expressive traits, health behaviors, and perceived physical health. Sex Roles 34, 841–864 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01544319

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01544319

Keywords

Search

Navigation