Explorations in Feminist Ideology: Surprising Consistencies and Unexamined Conflicts

The world view of a sample of feminist leaders within psychology was investigated and compared to a sample of faculty members at a local state college and of students enrolled in courses on women at that college. Results indicated that feminists leaders differ most from other groups in terms of their beliefs about biological causality and the way in which science works. They are also more socially constructionist in their viewpoint than other groups. Data are consistent with other findings indicating differences in covert ideological assumptions in scholars differing in theoretical orientation. It is suggested that what information one accepts as confirming “reality” may be more a matter of interpretation than of conflicting evidence.