Psychiatrists' beliefs about gender-appropriate behavior.

Psychiatrists' beliefs regarding gender-appropriate behavior may influence their treatment of patients. Psychiatrists of both sexes (men: N = 76; women: N = 57) were asked to characterize optimal mental health for hypothetical female and male patients on the Bem Sex Role Inventory. The subjects' ratings for men and women were similar with two exceptions: more of the female psychiatrists rated masculine traits as optimal for female patients, and more male psychiatrists chose traits characteristic of Bem's undifferentiated category (low levels of both masculine and feminine traits) as optimal for both male and female patients. The results indicate significant changes in psychiatrists' attitudes toward gender in the past 20 years.