Definition of Instrumentality and Expressivity

Instrumentality and expressiveness are two attributive dimensions of personality that are made up of a series of personality traits. Both are considered as global aspects of the self-concept that both men and women have.

Since the beginning of human civilization, classifications have been made based on the characteristics that individuals possess (e.g., the level of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, physiognomy, among others), however, possibly the most common way of classifying people is based on their gender. In this sense, the easiest way to classify by gender is to differentiate between men and women, although of course, with the advent of gender diversities, this classification has become more extensive and, certainly, a bit conflictive for certain sectors of the population; however, this topic will be returned to later.

All the cultures of the world have a characteristic in common, they develop beliefs, norms, values ​​and roles that indicate to individuals how they should behave, through behavioral patterns. In the case of gender, the previously described elements generate different expectations in the performance of sexual roles, In this way, the concepts of masculinity and femininity arise, which were originally conceived as opposite elements of the same continuous. Consequently, the differences in the attributions and roles assigned to each sex were extrapolated and exaggerated in such a way that it was assumed that men and women they belonged to different worlds, although certainly complementary (remember that popular phrase that says that "men come from Mars and women from Venus). This vision of gender led the population to develop gender stereotypes in which the masculinity, is associated with achievement, competitiveness, autonomy, dominance, rationality and endurance; while femininity is characterized by aspects such as submission, dependency, affection and other roles associated with caring for others.

However, and although many of these roles persist among some individuals, academic evidence suggests that in industrialized societies is that it is less and less common to have a sexual division of roles and masculine characteristics and feminine. In other words, in these societies, people can possess feminine, masculine, or undifferentiated/androgynous, so a new nomenclature is required to refer to these characteristics; this is how the concepts of Instrumentality and Expressivity arise. In this way, instrumentality and expressiveness are two attributive dimensions of personality, they are made up of a series of personality traits; These are considered as global aspects of the self-concept that both men and women have. In this line, the instrumental characteristics are mainly oriented to the fulfillment of goals; while the expressive characteristics are oriented to interpersonal relationships. Although the instrumental and expressive traits are associated with the genre, possibly a legacy of its past as masculine traits and feminine, these are not inherent to the gender of the person, rather they depend on the form and context in which the personality.

Although the taxonomy of the traits that make up these dimensions was initially limited to categorizing them within the dimensions that give it its name to each of these, academics soon realized that this classification was insufficient and concluded that it was necessary expand it. This is how the dimensions of instrumentality and positive and negative expressiveness arise. Each of these dimensions is described below by developing associated sub-dimensions.

Positive and Negative Instrumentality Dimensions

• Positive instrumentality

o Cooperative instrumentality: Traits related to the production and manipulation of the environment in which the individual resides

o Achievement-oriented Instrumentality: Composed of traits that highlight personal competence aimed at individual development and progress.

o Egocentric Instrumentality: These traits emphasize a pattern of individuality where personal satisfaction is sought.

• Negative instrumentality

o Macho instrumentality: Traits related to dominance and control over the other, favors aggressiveness, abuse and rudeness.

o Authoritarian instrumentality: This dimension arises from behavior linked to control and power over other people.

o Social Rebellion: Traits that are characterized by social disinterest, impoliteness and lack of flexibility.

positive and negative expressiveness

Forms of Positive and Negative Expression

o Affiliative expressiveness: Traits that reflect the traditional idea of ​​femininity, which is why it is aimed at common care and well-being.

o Romantic-dreamy expressiveness: Traits linked to sensitivity and romanticism, in an idealized and dreamy way.

• Negative expressiveness

o Emotional-negative-egocentric expressiveness: This dimension involves the negative part of emotion, it is identified with immaturity and mediocrity.

o Emotional vulnerability: Traits that include affective weakness and emotional instability.

o Negative passive external control: This dimension manifests a pattern traditionally associated with femininity related to self-sacrifice and submission.

As can be seen, although these traits can occur in anyone regardless of their gender or sex assigned at birth, there are still certain regulations regarding who (man or woman) should have each of these. In this sense, with the arrival of social movements such as feminism and new masculinities or the normalization of LGBT collective, it is increasingly common to speak of androgynous people, that is, who present characteristics of both dimensions; something that seems to bother multiple conservative groups that advocate "recovering" traditional masculinity and femininity, even if this means falling into gender stereotypes.

To conclude, the characteristics that make up instrumentality and expressiveness influence multiple processes such as mental health, interpersonal relationships, the fulfillment of personal achievements, among others, which are important for the integration of the individual to his around.

References

Diaz-Loving, R., Rocha Sanchez, T. E., & Rivera Aragón, S. (2007). Instrumentality and expressiveness from a psycho-socio-cultural perspective. Mexico: Miguel Angel Porrua.