Research Proposal Women & Fear of Success

1991 De Paul University
Class: Woman's Roles, A Historical Perspective
Research Proposal - Women & Fear of Success
Teacher: Mary Cannon

Research Proposal Women & Fear of Success

Didn't end up doing this project

Part 1

Many women prevent themselves from reaching their dreams; psychologists call this phenomenon "fear of success"; men also can have a "fear of success", but the difference is that for men the reason for their fear does not involve their sexuality - for women it DOES. For instance, men may be repelled by the cutthroat business world or may have moral objections to a job, but women do not see success as synonymous with their femininity.  I have had a strong personal interest in this topic since learning about it in a psychology class 12 years ago. This "fear of success" keeps some of our best women down; even some of the women that the world may see as having attained total success are still doing things that sabotage their own continued growth.    

Part 2

          -What is it and when did we first know about it?

          -What effect has it had on women's lives in the last 20            years?

          -Can we use what we have learned from history to rid this scourge from women's psyche?

Part 3

 In starting this research my hypothesis is that women ARE still held back by their "fear of success". Are women still held back by a "fear of success"?

Part 4

The book Essays in Feminism by Vivian Gornick, has actual research material done 20 years ago by Dr. Matina Horner; Dr. Horner was researching motivation and achievement when she realized what was already common knowledge for 75 years before; she found that women anxiously avoid success. I plan to use her test methods on some girls, teens and women today.

Betty Harragan wrote in Working Woman magazine that some women with abundant talent seem to sabotage great opportunities. Just when they are at mid-career and poised to break through the barriers, they voluntarily jump off the ladder - finding themselves at the bottom. She calls it "female" thinking; she means linear thinking that starts at adolescence and progresses in a straight line forever. It does not go upward or even veer off in a new direction, which one might think that it would after gaining experience and skill; this style of thinking never grows up. I plan to show that "fear of success" is still an obstacle to us today.

Part 5

I plan to do continued library research as I was unable to carry home all the books on the subject at one time; I was excited to find so much written about women, especially on this topic.              

I plan to use personal interviews and questionnaires with women of different ages, backgrounds, and levels of success (as judged by me). I want to learn whether women know that they have it and whether knowing it makes a difference in overcoming it.

I plan to obtain as many periodical articles as possible that I can find from the past and the present to evaluate changes over time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Books to get:

Women And Success, Ruth B. Kundsin - William Morrow, 1974

Feminine Psychology, Karen Horney                         

The Courage to Be Yourself, Lisle Library

Developing Self Esteem: A Guide For Success, Connie Palladino                                   

Too Smart For Her Own Good? The Impact of Success on the Intimate Lives Of Women, Levine Shneidman

Industry Week, Jim Braham, "The Fear of Success", v238, May 1,1989, pp. 23 (5).

American Health: Fitness of Body And Mind, April 1989, pp. 56(5) v8

The Success Syndrome, Steven Berglas, How to deal w success and related articles.

Chatelaine, Jan 1988, pp. 30(1), v61. "The Imposter Syndrome; Why Some Successful People Feel Like Fakes", Barbara MacKay

Feminine Personality And Conflict, Matina Horner, Brooks/Cole 1970.

Developing Self Esteem; A Guide for Personal Success, Connie           Palladino, 1989

Self Sabotage: How to Stop and Soar to Success, Martha Baldwin

Tactics: The Art and Science of Success, DeBono

Love and Power in a World Without Limits: A Woman's Guide to The Goddess Within, Terry Cole Whitiker

The Good Life: The Meaning of Success in the Middle Class, Loren Baritz, 1928

Woman On a Seesaw: The Ups and Downs of Making It, Hilary Cosell 1954

How to Father a Successful Daughter, Mickey Marone, 1987

Minding My Own Business: Entrepreneurial Females Share Secrets, Marjorie McVicar

Networking: A Great New Way For Women To Get Ahead, Welch Mary Scott

The Working Woman's Success Book, Ed of WW magazine, 1981

Prospering Women: A Complete Guide to Achieving the Full Abundant Life, Ruth Ross

Starpower: An Astrological Guide to Super Success, Jacqueline Stallone

Games Mother Never Taught You, Betty Lehan Harragan

Knowing The Score, Betty Harragan