RESUMO
Although effeminacy is recognized to be a complex and important phenomenon, until now it has been only scantily studied, and has not been clearly defined or measured. In this paper, we review the literature and present an Effeminacy Rating Scale that quantifies the behavioral fragments comprising the overall clinical picture of effeminacy. We also present data obtained in a trial of the scale on a sample of 16 homosexual and 16 heterosexual males. The scale was found to have a high interrater reliability (0.93) and can therefore be used to study effeminacy quantitatively.
Assuntos
Homossexualidade/diagnóstico , Transtornos Parafílicos/diagnóstico , Inventário de Personalidade , Adulto , Humanos , Entrevista Psicológica , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-IdadeRESUMO
In Part II, effeminacy in an in vivo social situation was studied and the Effeminacy Scale described in Part I was tested. Nineteen subjects were studied and videotaped while participating in four encounter groups, of which two were homosexual and two heterosexual. There were large situational variations in expressivity of effeminacy during group meetings. High-frequency levels of effeminate responses were observed to parallel high levels of anxiety or anger. At other times, effeminate responses were observed which seemed to subserve sexual signaling functions or which seemed related to narcissistic retreat (self-cuddling) or castration anxiety (e.g., cupping the genitals). Interrater reliability with the Effeminacy Scale for two nonprofessional raters viewing the same videotaped material from the group was 0.93 (Pearson r).