Deprivation-Enhancement Fantasy Patterns in Men and Women

Abstract

This paper presents a replication of previous work demonstrating a characteristic male and female fantasy pattern. In terms of the sequence of action and feeling, women show a movement from more negative emotion and experience (“deprivation”) to more positive emotion and experience (“enhancement”), while with men the pattern is reversed. An investigation of some of the correlates of these patterns suggests that they reflect specific sex role tensions, and that experience with peers in preadolescence and early adolescence is a crucial factor.