To examine the impact of androgyny and attributional style on coping ability, a demographic questionnaire, the Zeitlin Coping Inventory, the Bem Sex-role Inventory and the Attributional Style Questionnaire were completed by 301 first-year students at the University of Stellenbosch. It was found that androgynous female subjects displayed significantly better coping abilities than female subjects with feminine, masculine, or undifferentiated sex-role orientations. No significant difference was found between coping abilities of androgynous and masculine male subjects, although both androgynous and masculine males showed significantly better coping abilities than males with feminine or undifferentiated sex-role orientations. Regarding a specific aspect of coping, namely flexibility of coping style, both male and female subjects with androgynous sex-role orientations displayed significantly more flexibility in their coping styles than subjects of any other sex-role type. Regarding attributional style, a significant positive correlation was found between good coping ability and an internal, stable, and global attributional style for positive events. A significant positive correlation was likewise found between good coping ability and an external, unstable, and specific attributional style for negative events. The conclusion was drawn that androgyny and an adaptive attributional style served as important coping resources.
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