x-role type (mothering, nurturing, etc.), the greater the likelihood that her behavior will be perceived as pathological in the sense of suffering from a condition of codependency.
The conceptual purpose of this study is to examine the construct of codependency. In particular, the study examines whether there might be reason to believe that there is a relationship between a diagnosis of codependency and sex-role type such that a "feminine" sex-role type is more likely to be viewed as pathologically codependent than is any other sex-role type.
Sex-role type, in a general sense, has been conceptually defined. However, so that the purpose of the proposed study may be fully understood, it is helpful here to more specifically state what is meant by sex-role type. Bem (1974, 1981) has defined "sex-role type" as the degree to which one perceives self as possessing all the different masculine and/or feminine characteristics that make up conventional gender roles.
According to Bem, people can be characterized as being one of several sex-role types: (1) a masculine sex-role type in which one identifies self with the attributes, interests, preferences and skills society typically associates with maleness; (2) a feminine sex-role type in which one views self in terms of the attributes, interests, preferences and skills society typically associates with females; (3) an androgynous type in which one views self as possessing, in fairly equal amounts, the interests, preferences, and skills associated with both males and females; (4) an "undifferentiated" type consisting of people who score low on both masculine and feminine traits; and (5) a reverse sex-role type in which one shows a pattern of skills, interests, preferences and attributes that are the reverse of their gender type, e.g. the feminine male.
There has been considerable work done on the validity of the Bem sex-role inventory itself (Wong, McCreary and Duffy, 1990). Th...