Am J Psychiatry 1984; 141:499-503
Copyright © 1984 by American Psychiatric Association
The physiognomic basis of sexual stereotyping
KA Nakdimen
Although it is routine for mental status reports to comment on appearance
and attractiveness, there is no prevailing theory to explain the
psychological impact of physical features. Two perceptual processes are
proposed: nonverbal quasi-communication (counterfeit body language) and
nonverbal quasi-information (spurious information). Applying this
perspective to the sexual dimorphism of anatomy, clothing, and makeup, one
finds that appearance fosters the belief that men and women have the
personality traits that are stereotypically attributed to them, and this
seems to be at the heart of physical attractiveness.
