Differences and similarities in men's and women's sexual self-schemas.
In the last 10 years, researchers have developed separate rating scales for men and women that purport to measure a person's thoughts about their sexual self or sexual self-schema. While these scales are promising, there are some problems intrinsic to these measures. This study addresses these concerns and tests a combined measure for use among both men and women, while retaining internal consistency and a factor structure similar to the women's scale. Having both men and women complete the same scale permitted a comparison of how men and women think about their sexual selves. In this study, gender differences netted a small effect, with men scoring lower on both the loving/warmth and reserved/conservative factors compared to women. Results are discussed in terms of future research with this new scale and the meaning of gender differences along these dimensions.
Hill
Darryl B
DB
College of Staten Island, City University of New York, Department of Psychology, 2800 Victory Blvd., Staten Island, NY 10314, USA. darrylhill@verizon.net
D000328:Adult; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012649:Self Concept; D012650:Self Disclosure; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012747:Sexual Partners / Q000523:psychology*; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States