The fear of success (FOS) construct in the achievement motivation of women was initially written by undergraduates in which the opening sentence described a male or female who ranked first in a medical school class. From these results, an intrapsychic interpretation of FOS was made. Other researchers, who accepted the sex of the cue character as the critical variable, found cultural interpretations. Research examining the variable of cue characters at different positions in class standings has found that both success and failure in competitive achievement situations are differentially perceived and evaluated according to sex and to the degree of success or failure obtained. Studies using such ambiguous cues question the prevalence of FOS imagery. Several "objective" instruments have been developed to tap FOS, e.g., true-false scales, semantic differential items, interview questions, and situation-specific items. Measure reliability and validity of these new tests indicate that each test has its own limitations. Methodological, conceptual, and statistical flaws inherent in FOS research preclude labeling FOS as a motive or a proven personality trait. (NRB)