Gender-Related Personality Attributes and Reaction to Success/Failure: An Examination of Mediating Variables

Abstract

The effects of success and failure on task performance, and attributions about performance, were compared for high and low instrumental college women. For the+high instrumental group, success facilitated task performance, whereas f a~~~~a~~ o effect on sXSqTerperformance, ITg7;rnstrumentaI women attributed w instrumental women revealed the opposite profile. The gender-appropriateness of the task had little effect on performance or attribution. Four potential mediators of these differences were investigated: self-esteem, perceived ability, expectancy of success, and attainment value. High-instrumental women's higher perceived ability and performance expectations accounted for their superior task performance, but none of the four mediators accounted for the relationship of instrumentality to attributions.

Gender and Causal Attributions for Mastery, Personal, and Interpersonal Events

“…These variables included locus of standards, initial expectations, process versus outcome focus, and the overall time frame of the event. The relevance of these features of achievement has been firmly established (Atkinson, Nicholls, 1975;Veroff, 1977; Welch, Gerrard, & Huston, 1986). However, this relevance has been documented primarily in the context of traditional forms of achievement.…”

Autonomy and the Struggle for Female Identity: Implications for Counseling Women

“…Working toward instrumental autonomy can provide many benefits for women. Welch, Gerrard, and Huston (1986) found that women who score high on instrumental personality attributes (active, independent, competitive) improved their performance after success, did not deteriorate after failure, and were better able to attribute success to ability and failure to external causes. "High instrumental women" had higher perceived ability, expectancies of success, and self-esteem than did "low instrumental women."…”

“…Baruch et al (1983) found the concept of mastery (doing and achieving) to be related to well-being in women. Welch et al (1986) suggested that low instrumental women respond to failure by attributing it to poor ability; thus, they respond quickly to failure by assuming they cannot perform a task. Jones and Lamke (1985) found that women with androgynous and masculine (instrumental) gender role orientations had higher levels of self-esteem than did women with more feminine (expressive) and undifferiented gender role orientations.…”