Androgyny, stereotypy and the perception of female therapists

✍ Scribed by Thomas V. Merluzzi; Bernadette Merluzzi

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1981
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 432 KB
• Volume: 37
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9762
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-4679(198104)37:2<280::aid-jclp2270370209>3.0.co;2-v

✦ Synopsis

Assessed the effects of female therapists' experience (expert or nonexpert) and disclosure level (high or low) and Ss' sex role orientation (stereotyped or androgynous) on perceived expertness, attractiveness, and trustworthiness. Forty-six sex role stereotyped and 46 androgynous Ss rated therapists after they had read three brief transcripts of therapist-client interactions. Results indicated that experts were seen as more expert and more trustworthy, and high disclosing therapists were seen as more attractive. Moreover, a threeway interaction indicated that trustworthiness ratings of expert females were similar for stereotyped and andro$nous Ss. However, nonexperts were rated differently by stereotyped Ss aa a unction of therapist disclosure level, where as, androgynous Ss' ratings of nonexperts did not differ from their ratings of experts. The differential ratings as a function of sex role orientation were discussed, and future research directions were suggested.