ARTICLE
Masculinity, femininity, self-appeal, strategies of self-presentation and styles of interpersonal functioning in transsexual women
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Department of Social and Environmental Psychology
Institute of Psychology
University of Silesia Katowice
Poland
Submission date: 2015-05-13
Final revision date: 2015-06-15
Acceptance date: 2015-07-05
Publication date: 2015-10-19
Corresponding author
Eugenia Mandal
Department of Social and Environmental Psychology
Institute of Psychology
University of Silesia Katowice
Poland, ul. Grażyńskiego 53, 40-126 Katowice, Poland
Arch Psych Psych 2015;17(3):5-13
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ABSTRACT
Aim of the study:
The aim of the study was to explore potential differences in gender identity and styles of interpersonal functioning between transsexual and non-transsexual women.
Subject or material and methods:
The studied group consisted of 32 adult transwomen, and the control group consisted 32 adult biological women. The following tests were used: the Bem Sex Role Inventory (Polish version, Kuczyńska, 1992) , Scale of Self Appeal (Mandal, Zalewska, 2010), the Interpersonal Styles Scale (Stanik, 1998), and the Strategies of Self-Presentation Questionnaire (Mandal, Zalewska, 2010).
Results:
The transsexual women scored higher on the femininity scale than the non-transsexual women. The same situation occurred in the case of the use of the maintaining-overprotective style, submissive-dependent style and conformism scales.
While the non-transsexual women scored higher in the directive-autocratic style, aggressive-sadistic style, competitive-narcissistic style, partner attractiveness and self-promotion scales.
However, statistically significant differences between the groups did not occur in masculinity, adonization, interpersonal attractiveness, appreciation of the partner, self-depreciation, the withdrawing-masochistic style, the rebellious-suspicious style, self-acceptance/complacency, pessimism/helplessness/cry for help, lie, the friendly-cooperative style and the resourcefulness/realism/autonomy scales.
Discussion:
The study revealed that transsexual women experience themselves and the surrounding world more in accord to the stereotype of what is feminine than non-transsexual women. Such was the case with the way they function interpersonally. Styles that they employ to a higher degree usually do not contain components of dominance and the need for autonomy but rather the need for affiliation and considerateness.
Conclusions:
Transwomen function more in accordance with the stereotype of femininity than biological women.