Number and Quality of Roles: A Longitudinal Personality View
- 1 March 1990
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Psychology of Women Quarterly
- Vol. 14 (1) , 83-101
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1990.tb00006.x
Abstract
We used longitudinal personality data to test whether number and quality of roles were associated with health and self-enhancement in 100 privileged midlife women. Number of roles (from the set of partner, parent, and worker) was not related to autonomy, individuality, and complexity, as had been hypothesized, but to respect for norms, being well-organized and considering oneself like other people. Though women with one role were lower in well-being than women with more than one, hierarchical multiple regression showed no advantage to number of roles after psychological health at age 21 was taken into account. However, quality of role, as assessed by marital satisfaction and status level in work, was associated with contentment and effective functioning, respectively, even after antecedent psychological functioning was taken into account. Particular roles were associated with particular advantages. The enhancement model of the accumulation of roles is compared with Erikson's theory of the development of personality.Keywords
This publication has 27 references indexed in Scilit:
- Women, Work, and HealthAnnual Review of Public Health, 1987
- Life satisfaction and identity structure in late middle-aged men and women.Psychology and Aging, 1987
- Two conceptions of maturity examined in the findings of a longitudinal study.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1987
- Psychological Consequences of Multiple Social RolesPsychology of Women Quarterly, 1986
- Role quality, multiple role involvement, and psychological well-being in midlife women.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1986
- Personality and patterns of adherence and nonadherence to the social clock.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1984
- Multiple Roles of Midlife WomenPublished by Springer Nature ,1984
- Occupational Experience and the Self-Concept: A Longitudinal StudySocial Psychology Quarterly, 1979
- Multiple Roles and Role Strain: Some Notes on Human Energy, Time and CommitmentAmerican Sociological Review, 1977
- Toward a Theory of Role AccumulationAmerican Sociological Review, 1974