These essays provide richer set of writings on the philosophical, empirical and practical issues raised by a focus on character, and in particular its relationship to questions of opportunity. Each one is an intellectual pemmican: sharp and to the point. Two scholars draw attention to the gendered nature of character formation (Segal and Lexmond);…

Examination of self-descriptions of 1,623 undergraduates (collectedd in 1958-64, 1970-74, and 1977-82) failed to support the prevailing assumption that masculinity and femininity develop independently. Rather, a positive relation was found between the presence of masculine and feminine traits within the same individual even when gender and state…

Applied confirmatory factor analysis in a test of alternative factor models and measurement invariance across gender groups, using data from the Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire focusing on shyness, high-intensity pleasure, activity level, attention, irritability, and fear. Found that factor models based on composite indicators showed…

Women superintendents (N=82) provided information concerning their personal and career development. Results showed subjects reflected a more traditional orientation during childhood, youth, and early career development and appeared to have integrated masculine modes of behavior as they advanced to higher levels of authority and responsibility.…

Although parental effects on the personality development of children have been well examined, fathers' influence and effects on older children have received little attention. To investigate fathers' involvement in the attitude and personality development of college women, 333 women, ages 18 to 23, completed a three-part questionnaire gathering…

The relationship between psychosocial development and ego identity was explored among a group of 29 married women, 21-59 years old. After being interviewed, subjects were assigned to one of four categories of identity status, based on their statements regarding decision-making and commitment. There were significant differences between identity…

Female traits of caretaking, nurturance, sociability, and empathy are not simply internalizations of societal norms and values. Rather, they result from early forms of thought that shape sex-role concepts in predictable ways. Their development can be traced to the young child's belief that "anatomy is destiny." (Author/KH)

Romance novels have become increasingly popular and sexually explicit, in part because women may gain a sense of self through reading them and perhaps in reaction to the patriarchal structure of society. Women may seek escape and a sense of self-identity through the novels'"larger-than-life" characters and predictable endings. Readers of…