ARTICLE
Masculinity, femininity, self-appeal, strategies of self-presentation and styles of interpersonal functioning in transsexual women
			
	
 
More details
Hide details
	
	
									
				1
				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
		
 
 
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
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.