Psychological Androgyny and Fear of Success

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between psychological androgyny and fear of success for 128 female undergraduates who were administered the Bern Sex-role Inventory and a 29-item, self-report, fear of success scale. From performance on the inventory subjects were assigned to one of four sex-role categories: sex-typed, sex-reversed, androgynous, or indeterminate. Androgynous and sex-reversed females manifested significantly less fear of success than either sex-typed or indeterminate females. These findings suggest that psychological androgyny is associated with dealing effectively with possible perceived negative consequences of success.