Touch is an important aspect of nonverbal behavior. Important aspects of the relationship of gender and sex roles with same-sex touch were highlighted. 259 subjects participated in the procedure, yielding a significant difference between men and women on same-sex touch. Further, androgyny was significantly correlated with ratings on the Same-sex Touching Scale. Specific conclusions regarding these findings were discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
DeethardtJ. F.HinesD. G. (1983) Tactile communication and personality differences. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 8, 143–156.
2.
DeVitoJ. A. (1986) The interpersonal communication book. (4th ed.) New York: Harper & Row.
3.
HenleyN. (1977) Body politics. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
4.
HeslinR.NguyenT. D.NguyenM. L. (1983) Meaning of touch: The case of touch from a stranger or same-sex person. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 7, 147–158.
5.
JonesS. E. (1986) Sex differences in touch communication. The Western Journal of Speech Communication, 50, 227–241.
6.
JourardS. M.RubinJ. (1968) Physical contact and self-disclosure: A study of two modes of interpersonal encounter and their interrelation. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 7, 39–48.
7.
LarsenK. S.LeRouxJ. (1984) A study of same-sex touching attitudes: Scale development and personality predictors. The Journal of Sex Research, 20, 264–278.
8.
PleckJ. H. (1976) The male sex role: Definitions, problems, and sources of change. Journal of Social Issues, 32, 155–164.
9.
RemlandM. S.JonesT. S. (1988) Cultural and sex differences in touch avoidance. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 67, 544–546.
10.
StierD. S.HallJ. A. (1984) Gender differences in touch: An empirical and theoretical review. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 440–459.
11.
StewartL. P.StewartA. D.FriedleyS. A.CooperP. J. (1990) Communication between the sexes. Scottsdale, AZ: Gorsuch Scarisbrick.
12.
WheelessL. R.WheelessV. E. (1981) Attribution, gender orientation, and adaptability: Reconceptualization, measurement, and research results. Communication Quarterly, 30, 56–66.
13.
WhitehurstT. C.DerlegaV. J. (1985) Influence of touch and preferences for control on visual behavior and subjective responses. In EllysonS.DovidioJ. (Eds.), Power, dominance, and nonverbal behavior. New York: Springer-Verlag. Pp. 165–181.