Psychology and the Reconciliation of Women's Double Bind: To be Feminine or to be Fully Human
Abstract
The thesis is developed that femininity in a social context which values competence and individual achievement presents conflicts for women for whom the results are ambivalence, fear of success, guilt and anxiety. An androgynous conception of sex roles and the consequent implications for child rearing are discussed. The role presently played by psychologists in instructing students and advising parents is described and judged to be inadequate. The responsibility of the psychologist in contributing to a resolution of sex-role conflicts for both men and women is discussed.