Beyond Depression: Gender Differences in Normal Adolescents' Emotional Experiences.

Stapley, Janice C.; Haviland, Jeannette M.

Adolescents (N = 262) in the fifth, seventh, ninth, and eleventh grades reported the frequency, intensity, and duration of their experiences of 12 emotions and the situations during which they occurred. The first three scales of emotion combined to produce the emotion saliency score. Girls reported higher saliences of surprise, sad, self-hostility, shame, shy, and guilt. Boys reported higher saliency of contempt. Factor analysis of the salient emotions retained the same three factors for both genders: positive emotion, inner-passive, and outer-hostile negative emotions. The loadings for surprise, sad, and anger on each factor suggested within factor gender differences. Most salient emotions were experienced with peers; however, boys experienced both surprise and sadness more often when alone than did girls. There were gender differences in most emotion categories on the events associated with salient emotions. Boys found activities and achievement, and girls found affiliation, to be emotionally salient. These data suggest that gender differences in emotion are pervasive rather than confined to depressive emotion and include differences in the organizational properties of emotion.

STATISTICAL correlation; GENDER differences (Psychology) in adolescence; MENTAL depression; EMOTIONS in adolescence; SEX differences (Biology); TEENAGE boys; TEENAGE girls; ADOLESCENT psychopathology; ADOLESCENT psychology

Sex Roles, 1989, Vol 20, Issue 5-6, p295

0360-0025

Academic Journal

10.1007/BF00287726