ABSTRACT
Con fo rming to any social role, or rebelling against i t , is l ike ly to have some effect on the personality of the ind iv idua l involved. I n the case of sex roles, the effect may be profound. More than other social roles, the role of man or woman is int imately involved w i t h one's conception of oneself, i t is present f rom earliest chi ldhood, and i t is thrust upon the ind iv idua l irreversibly w i t h o u t regard for natural inclinations. W e may t h i n k of the sex roles i n a culture as an expression at the societal level of that universal mascul ini ty-feminini ty ( M - F ) conflict w i t h i n the ind iv idua l w h i c h we discussed i n Chapter 12. A t the same t ime, the demands of these roles may either relieve or-as is the case i n too many societies, i n c lud ing our own-intensify the ind iv idua l conflict. O f course, the impact
of cul tural sex roles is not l imi t ed to the M - F dimension of personality. Because i n most cultures the sex role is the most central role an ind iv idua l plays, i t can promote or hinder fu l l development i n various aspects of the personality. As an example, we can readily imagine that i n order to fu l f i l l the role-requirements w h i c h are generally accepted i n feudalistic so cieties a woman w o u l d have to leave large areas of herself undeveloped.
