Gender role stress in relation to shame, guilt, and externalization

This study explored how gender role stress variables are related to shame-proneness, guilt-proneness, and externalization. Undergraduates completed the Test of Self-Conscious Affect and the Masculine or Feminine Gender Role Stress Scale, respectively. Canonical analyses revealed 3 significant roots for the male sample accounting for 50% of the total variance between gender role stress and self-conscious emotions, and 1 significant root for the female sample accounting for 31% of the variance. The discussion examines the complex relationship between gender role ideals and the experience of shame, guilt, and the use of externalization as a defense against these painful affects.