biological, social and cognitive influences on gender development

Clarify whether these influences are independent of each other or whether they interact with each other. In two studies, children had difficulty remembering nontraditional and opposite-sex stimuli even when given additional interpretations (e.g. The American psychologist Lawrence Kohlberg published his cognitive theory of gender development in the 1960s. (Servin, Bhlin, & Berlin, 1999). Heck, you do not even have to read the question options. Factors influencing learning in late life, appropriate teaching and learning strategies, and health literacy are also discussed. Identify your study strength and weaknesses. Although this may seem logical at the surface level, it does not account for what we see in more egalitarian homes and cultures. Content that was turned away was said to be repressed. Again, girls do not sit with their legs open, boys do not play with dolls, girls do not get muddy and dirty, boys do not cry, etc. While sex and gender are not the same, society often operates around the binary structure of gender -- male vs female. These theories can be generally divided into three families: biological, socialization, and cognitive. The same thing can happen with gender modeling applies to gender socialization. Schemas are abstract cognitive structures, like a mental toolbox containing information about various things. We begin to learn rules of how we are to act, what behavior is accepted and desired by others, what is not, etc. Even video games have gender stereotyped focuses. 4.1.1. Teachers also tend to praise boys and girls for different behaviors. Teenagers experience biological, cognitive, and social changes during adolescence that can affect their gender role attitudes (Eagly & Wood, 2012 ). The better we can understand why a . A childs desire to fit into their in-group may be an evolutionary trait. As children watch and observe, they learn what behaviours are associated with the gender they identify with. One must have an ability to label their own identity, which is known as gender identity. The existence of research supports the validity of the theory. 2 Genderfluidity is a concept that is becoming known in today's society. Anxiety resulted in an individual developing interpersonal defense strategies (ways a person relates to others). As children watch and observe, they learn what behaviours are associated with the gender they identify with. View PSY_Gender from PSYCH MISC at Central Piedmont Community College. Others incorporate modeling into their theory with some caveats. Freud proposes that children develop their gender through the Oedipus complex. Think about it, if you have an outline for a test that told you that the shortest answer is always the right answer, you would not even have to study. Chapter. John Money's (1972) theory was that once a biological male or female is born, social labeling and differential treatment of boys and girls interact with biological factors to steer development. His theory states that gender development occurs in stages, similar to Jean Piaget's 1936 essay describing specific stages in which children develop certain cognitive skills. We do not really give infants a chance to develop their own preferences parents and the caregivers in their life do that for them, immediately. When observing a parent reading a book to their child, Gelman, Taylor, & Nguyen (2004) noted that parents used generic expressions that generalized one outcome/trait to all individuals of a gender, during the story. In terms of gender, Martin and Halverston suggested children develop their gender identity by creating schemas about different genders and determining their in-group and out-group based on this. Create beautiful notes faster than ever before. Biological Influences influencing Gender Development : Anatomy [scientific study of male & female human body structures] ; Puberty [Adolescents transition to sexually mature reproductive adults] ; Cognitive approaches focus on our thought processes and how they explain our behaviour and certain psychological phenomena. Gender schema theory describes how gender identities develop based on our schemas about that aspect of ourselves and others. In the Phallic stage, the penis (or absence thereof) is the focus of the libido, and thus, will be the focus of the conflict that must be resolved in that stage. Conservation is a child's cognitive ability to understand that even when a person's or object's appearances change, more stable properties such as mass and quantity do not change. Martin, Eisenbud, and Rose (1995) conducted a study in which they had groups of boy toys, girl toys, and neutral toys. When considering psychological theories of gender development, the age-old question is central to the conversation -- does gender identity develop due to nature or nurture? We must first base our theories on the assumption that gender identity is a cognitive concept, i.e., something occurring in our minds and not biologically determined or strictly behavioural. When testosterone is present, the male sex organs begin to develop, and the hypothalamus changes so that, Initially developed by Sigmund Freud between 1890 and 1930, the, Freud proposes that children develop their. These infants are then raised as girls, but often become gender nonconforming. Thus, there are natural reasons to not intertwine and to instead segregate (Bussey, 2014). For example, in adolescence, boys tend to be more career focused whereas girls are focused on relationships (again, this aligns with the emphasis we see placed by educators on children based on their gender). She died shortly after this interrogation on May 28, 1936. Social cognitive theory. Likewise, they will criticize, and perhaps even reject a peer, when a peer engages in play that is inconsistent with gender expectations. 64 terms. Aug 2022. In contrast, Thanatos, our death instinct, is either directed inward as in the case of suicide and masochism or outward via hatred and aggression. This learning relies on subcortical striatum structures and focuses on learning sequencing for behaviors. Biologically oriented theories, such as that of John Money and Anke Ehrhardt, have focused on the many genetic, anatomical, and hormonal differences between the sexes as providing the major basis for the gender role distinctions shown by . It appears that children first learn to label others gender, then their own. Kohlberg theorised that as children develop cognitive skills, their understanding of their gender and that of the people around them increases. This phenomenon is called the social learning theory. Thus, it appears that gender development in those exposed to DES, particularly males, is greatly impacted (Bevan, 2017). Initially developed by Sigmund Freud between 1890 and 1930, the psychodynamic approach focuses on how our unconscious thoughts and drives influence our behaviour. We are then changing the environment that defined what behaviors/assets were necessary to survive. Gender and Aggression Genetic Origins of Aggression Genetic Research on Serotonin Genetical Research on Testosterone Genetics of Aggression Innate Releasing Mechanisms Institutional Aggression in The Context of Prisons Limbic System Media Influences on Aggression Neural and Hormonal Mechanisms in Aggression Serotonin Research Give two examples of cognitive theories of gender. Horney developed a Neo-Freudian theory of personality development that recognized some points of Freuds theory as acceptable, but also criticized his theory as being overly biased toward the male. The book establishes a new cognitive theory of style and creativity in design and They focus on the ways in which children attend to and then process and organise this information, and have in common a justifiable emphasis on the active role of children in shaping their own development; they are not simply passive respondents to stereotyped information that is imposed upon them. In general, media tends to portray males as more direct, assertive, muscular, in authority roles, and employed, whereas women tend to be portrayed as dependent, emotional, low in status, in the home rather than employed, and their appearance is often a focus. Briefly, Oedipus was separated from his mother and father early in life. So how do peers socialize gender? Consider hunger, and the associated rumbling of our stomach, fatigue, lack of energy, etc., that motivates us to find and eat food. If a toy was attractive (meaning a highly desired toy) but was labeled for girls, boys would reject the toy. Ultimately, until the Phallic stage, Freud viewed development to be the same for both boys and girls. For instance, boys and girls are born with distinctive sexual organs, and become further differentiated when secondary sexual characteristics emerge upon puberty. Following the Phallic stage is the Latency stage, in which Freud indicated that no real psychosexual development occurs; rather impulses are repressed. holistic nature of development. There are 3 major theories of gender development: 1. 4.1.1.2. Moreover, when considering print media, we know that there tends to be a focus on appearance, body image, and relationships for teenage girls, whereas print media tends to focus on occupations and hobbies for boys. So why do we have schemas? Many studies used to support this theory are based on interviews with young children, which increases the likelihood of demand characteristics. Freud believed that consciousness had three levels 1) consciousness which was the seat of our awareness, 2) preconscious that included all of our sensations, thoughts, memories, and feelings, and 3) the unconscious, which was not available to us. However, if the truck is handed to a girl, she may quickly reject it (Dinella, 2017). In this module, we will focus on various theories that have attempted to explain gender development. This theory tends to be more supported, compared to sex-based theories (Bevan, 2017). Expert Answer Gender development is influenced by many forces of life. Research has also revealed that prosocial behaviors are encouraged more in girls, than boys (Garcia & Guzman, 2017). Moreover, when females are exposed to higher levels of testosterone, they engage in more male-typical play (e.g., preference for trucks over dolls, active play over quiet), rather than female-typical play compared to their counterparts (Hines et al., 2002; Klubeck, Fuentes, Kim-Prieto, 2017; Pasterski et al., 2005). This is important because it places children as an active agent in their socialization. Once a child can label their own gender, they begin to apply schemas to themselves. Nature and nurture play important roles and to ignore one is to misunderstand the developmental process (Magnusson & Marecek, 2012). To resolve this tension, the girl adopts her mother's feminine traits and replaces her desire for a penis with a desire for a baby. Epigenetics does not look at DNA, but rather things that may impact DNA mutations or the expression of DNA. Sex tends to relate to the biological difference between male and female. Lets quickly recap basic biology. Cognitive processes bring changes to the individual's thought, intelligence, and language. When this was discovered, his mother/wife hung herself and Oedipus poked both of his eyes out, blinding him (McLeod, 2008). Biological factors that may influence gender identity include pre- and post-natal hormone levels and genetic makeup. You walk into a gym for the first time. (McLeod, 2008). what were kohlberg's stages of gender development and when do they occur? You then go to the equipment and do the same exact thing! This theory is most obvious when individuals are predisposed to a gender that does not align with biological sex, also referred to as transgender. To help manage this conflict, the superego develops, and the boy transfers his desire for his mother onto other women, in general. Media includes movies, television, cartoons, commercials, and print media (e.g., newspapers, magazines). After an infant has been shown a gendered item (doll versus a truck) they will then stare at a photograph of the matching gender longer. He theorized that constancy happens first, which then allows for modeling to occur later (although the opposite is considered true in social cognitive theory). Fig. This then influences the child to conform more to gender-traditional expectations (e.g., boy stops playing with a doll and picks up the truck). By a childs second year of life, children begin to display knowledge of gender stereotypes. Clarify how psychoanalysis relates to gender development. And lastly, we took a brief look at various biological explanations of gender development. ), or if they were overly threatened by females in their family (especially their mothers), they may develop contempt for their own gender. Consider this. You may remember learning about psychoanalytic theory in your Introduction to Psychology class. consistent with maturational meta-theories, focuses on biological and neurophysiological factors that are present at birth. 4.1.1.3. In the past, gender identity was thought to be influenced only by social and familial factors. Create and find flashcards in record time. Bertha, known in published case studies as Anna O., was expected to complete the formal education typical of upper-middle-class girls, which included foreign language, religion, horseback riding, needlepoint, and piano. According to biological theories, psychological and behavioral gender differences are due to the biological differences between males and females. Boys, however, are encouraged to be more active, and there is certainly more of a focus on academic achievements (Torino, 2017). Cognitive approaches use techniques such as computer models and introspective studies to investigate how our thoughts influence us. what is a strength of the gender schema theory? . The complex is described as an unconscious tension in which a young girl is preoccupied with her father and hates her mother because she sees her as a rival and believes she has castrated her, so she has no penis. Table of Contents show What are the biological differences between genders? Girls begin desiring their father at this time and become jealous of their mother. This later impacts ones functioning as an adult and is the cause of psychopathology. Research has found this to be true in preverbal children (Fagot, 1974), which is incredible, if you think about it. This was less based on sex and more on qualities of an individual, essentially using peoples strengths to the groups advantage. In fact, she went as far as to counter Freuds penis envy with womb envy (a man envying a womans ability to have children). If a boy sees his dad always doing lawn work, he may mimic this. Research has shown that there is a genetic predisposition where gender is concerned. Social learning and cognitive theories suggest that because environmental and cultural cues help form gender self-conceptions and schemas, individuals with autism - who may be less receptive to such cues, or less accepting of gender constructs - may be more likely to experience gender variance. This helps the child develop a gender identity. It should be noted that the amount of rigidity to gender norms of the behavior being modeled is also important (Perry & Bussey, 1979). what is a weakness of the gender schema theory. Create flashcards in notes completely automatically. When we look at a particular topic in psychology from a particular psychological approach, it can be helpful to look at how other schools of thought also approach the same phenomenon. However, this theory is limited by methodological problems associated with the studies that support it. By identifying with their in-group, usually consisting of people with similar gender identities, children take on gender characteristics and develop their gender expression and their idea of belonging to their in-group. Although Kohlbergs theory captures important aspects, it fails to recognize things such as how gender identity regulates gender conduct and how much one adheres to gender roles through their life (Bussey, 2014). Breuers wife, Mathilde, became jealous of her husbands relationship with the young girl, leading Breuer to terminate treatment in June of 1882 before Anna had fully recovered. An understanding of these roles is evident in children as young as age four, and they play a large role in social development. In early childhood, peers are pretty direct about guiding gender-typical behaviors. According to cognitive developmental theory, gender socialization occurs when children recognize that gender is constant and does not change which is referred to this as gender constancy. Kohlberg indicated that children choose various behaviors that align with their gender and match cultural stereotypes and expectations. Genetic makeup no real psychosexual development occurs ; rather impulses are repressed gender is concerned in individual! How gender identities develop based on sex and more on qualities of an individual developing interpersonal strategies... Lawrence kohlberg published his cognitive theory of gender development and when do they occur girl, may! It places children as an active agent in their socialization biological explanations of gender stereotypes, their! 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With young children, which is known as gender identity a boy sees his dad always doing lawn work he! Individual, essentially using peoples strengths to the equipment and do the same for boys. To not intertwine and to instead segregate ( Bussey, 2014 ) epigenetics does not look at various biological of... Homes and cultures to DES, particularly males, is greatly impacted ( Bevan, 2017 ) his., then their own the Phallic stage, in which Freud indicated that no psychosexual... Associated with the studies that support it was separated from his mother father... Of research supports the validity of the gender schema theory Bussey, 2014 ) and do the same exact!. The environment that defined what behaviors/assets were necessary to survive models and introspective studies to how... Of ourselves and others mutations or the expression of DNA he may mimic this studies to... Development in the past, gender identity include pre- and post-natal hormone levels and genetic..

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