An Idiographic Approach to The Study Of Women's Achievement Striving
- 1 March 1986
- journal article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Psychology of Women Quarterly
- Vol. 10 (1) , 89-100
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-6402.1986.tb00738.x
Abstract
Biographical interviews with 80 women ranging in age from the late teens to the 80s (Mean Age = 46.8 years; SD = 7.8 years) elicited information concerning personality characteristics that predispose women toward achievement-striving behavior, taking into account the effects of family, friends, and role models. When asked if they had ever been in a situation where they were about to succeed and feared the success, the majority of women (91%) replied “no.” A large percentage of women (96%) did report that they wonder if their achievements are worth it and asked “success at what cost?” In addition, compared to older women, younger women were more concerned with interpersonal relationships and less concerned with competitive achievement. The reality status of the fear of success construct as well as methodological advances in its measurement are discussed.Keywords
This publication has 10 references indexed in Scilit:
- Psychometric properties and underlying assumptions of four objective measures of fear of successSex Roles, 1984
- Fear of success revisited: Introducing an ambiguous cueSex Roles, 1983
- Fear of SuccessPublished by Springer Nature ,1977
- To dispel fantasies about the fantasy-based measure of fear of success.Psychological Bulletin, 1975
- The Thematic Apperception Test and attitudes toward achievement in women: A new look at the motive to avoid success and a new method of measurement.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1974
- Fear of success in males and females: 1965 and 1971.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1974
- Achievement motivation in college women: A now-you-see-it-now-you-don't phenomenon.American Psychologist, 1974
- Intrapsychic versus cultural explanations of the "fear of success" motive.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1974
- An Objective Measure of the Motive to Avoid SuccessPsychological Reports, 1973
- Sex-role stereotypes and clinical judgments of mental health.Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1970