Sex-Role Influences in Dyadic Interaction: A Theoretical Model

Abstract

The social orientations of men and women have long been regarded as characteristically different. Men, according to the common stereotype, have a relatively instrumental view of social interaction. They engage in interaction in order to pursue ideas, exchange information, realize their projects, or influence others. Women, on the other hand, are assumed to place a higher intrinsic value on the interaction process itself. They engage in interaction because of rewards inherent in this activity—enjoyment deriving from the expression of feelings and the sense of communality experienced