Lesson 4 Flashcards
The three theories on Gender
Psychological Response, Sociological Response, Biological Perspective
According to Freud, what is the primary source of human behavior?
The unconscious mind.
What does psychodynamic theory emphasize in terms of gender development?
The influence of an individual’s relationship with other people.
How is an infant’s sense of self and gender identity developed according to psychodynamic theory?
Through internalization of the views of other people around them.
What developmental paths do male and female infants follow according to psychodynamic theory?
Distinct paths that reflect their relationship with their mothers.
According to psychodynamic theorists, what is fundamental in the formation of identity?
The identity formed in infancy.
Does the psychodynamic theory of identity suggest that identity is static or fixed in the early years of life?
No, identity continues to grow and change throughout life.
At which stage of psychosexual development does psychodynamic theory suggest that gender identity and role are acquired?
The phallic stage.
How does the social world impact the inclinations we are born with?
The social world amplifies or tones down those inclinations.
What is the focus of libido during the phallic stage of development?
The genitals.
How does social learning theory view gender identity and role?
As a set of behaviors learned from the environment.
What does social learning theory emphasize in the development of gender?
The influence of an individual’s relationship with other people.
According to social learning theory, how do individuals learn to be masculine or feminine?
By imitating others and getting responses from others to their behaviors.
How do people around individuals influence children’s behaviors according to social learning theory?
They reward only some of the children’s behaviors, and reinforced behaviors tend to be repeated.
What does social learning theory suggest about the reinforcement process?
It continues throughout life with messages that reinforce femininity in women and masculinity in men.
What influence is emphasized in the development of gender according to cognitive development theory?
The influence of an individual’s relationship with other people.
What role do cognitive psychologists emphasize in the development of gender identity and roles?
The role of thinking processes.
How do changes in gender role behavior reflect changes in children’s understanding of gender according to cognitive development theory?
They reflect changes in how children understand and think about gender.
How does cognitive development theory differ from social learning theory in terms of learning gender identities?
Cognitive development theory assumes that children play active roles in developing their gender identities.
What does Kohlberg’s stage theory of gender development propose?
A child’s understanding of gender moves forward in stages.
At what age is the first stage of gender identity usually reached, and what happens during this stage?
By the age of 2 years; the child is able to correctly label its own sex.
What is the second stage of gender development, and at what age is it usually reached?
Gender stability, usually reached by the age of 4 years.
What is the third stage of gender development, and what does the child understand during this stage?
Gender constancy; the child starts to understand that gender is independent of external features. This stage is usually reached by the age of 7 years.
What are females socialized to value according to cognitive development theory?
Connections with others, communication of care and responsiveness, and preservation of relationships.
What are males more likely to be socialized to value according to cognitive development theory?
Autonomy and communication that preserves their independence from others.
How do individuals decide to act in relation to society’s expectations of their gender?
Most decide to act in ways that are consistent with social views of gender.
This theory views gender identity and role as a set of behaviors learned from the environment and emphasizes the role of imitation and reinforcement in the learning process.
Social Learning Theory
According to this theory, the unconscious mind is the primary source of human behavior, and an infant’s relationship with their mother is fundamental to the formation of their identity.
Psychodynamic Theory
This theory emphasizes how children gather and make sense of information about gender and proposes that a child’s understanding of gender moves through stages over time.
Cognitive Development Theory
In this theory, changes in gender role behavior reflect changes in how children understand and think about gender, and it assumes that children play active roles in developing their gender identities.
Cognitive Development Theory
This theory claims that gender identity and role are acquired during the phallic stage of psychosexual development and that the first relationship an infant forms influences their gender identity.
Psychodynamic Theory
This theory suggests that the reinforcement process continues throughout life, with messages reinforcing femininity in women and masculinity in men.
Social Learning Theory
This theory highlights the influence of an individual’s relationship with other people in the development of gender and focuses on interactions with others to define themselves.
Cognitive Development Theory
This theory views social world influences as amplifying or toning down the inclinations we are born with and emphasizes that people reward certain behaviors, reinforcing them over time.
Social Learning Theory
According to this theory, identity is formed in infancy and is fundamental, and as infants mature, they carry with them a basic identity formed in the pivotal first relationship with their mothers.
Psychodynamic Theory
This theory suggests that most females are socialized to value connections with others, while males are more likely to be socialized to value autonomy and independence from others.
Cognitive Development Theory
What perspective views society as made up of interdependent parts?
Functionalism
What is maintained by assigning different tasks to men and women in preindustrial societies?
Social equilibrium
What role did men typically perform in preindustrial societies?
Hunting and gathering, bringing food to the family
What role did women typically perform in preindustrial societies?
Domestic roles near the home, caretaking
What role did children typically perform in preindustrial societies?
Helping with agricultural and domestic activities
What can too much deviation from traditional roles lead to in functionalism?
Imbalance in the family system
What is difficult for functionalism to account for?
Variety of existing family systems and rapid social change
What has functionalism been used as a justification for?
Male dominance and gender stratification
What element is important for restoring equilibrium in society according to functionalism?
Social control mechanisms
What can functionalism emphasize in terms of gender roles?
Traditional gender roles and conservatism
What perspective is conflict theory often referred to as?
Social conflict theory
How is social order preserved according to conflict theory?
Involuntarily through the exercise of power one social class holds over another.
Who are the main originators of conflict theory?
Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels
What does conflict theory suggest about the master-slave or exploiter-exploited relationships in broader society?
They are translated into the household.
What function of the family does conflict theory focus on?
The social placement function.
How does patriarchal and patrilineal systems influence the distribution of wealth according to conflict theory?
They concentrate wealth in the hands of males and promote female subservience, neglect, and poverty.
What can strengthen women’s power inside the home according to conflict theory?
Gaining economic strength by being wage earners.
What has conflict theory been criticized for overemphasizing?
The economic basis of inequality and the assumption of inevitable competition between family members.
What does conflict theory tend to dismiss regarding task allocation in families?
The consensus among wives and husbands.
What can conflict theory sometimes suggest about men as a group?
That they are consciously organized to keep women in subordinate positions.
What is another name for the symbolic interaction perspective?
The interactionist perspective
A dynamic process in which people continually modify their behavior as a result of the interaction itself.
social interaction
What level of sociological view does symbolic interaction focus on?
Micro level
How do people interact according to symbolic interaction?
According to how they perceive a situation, how they understand the social encounter, and the meanings they bring to it.
What do cultural norms offer according to symbolic interactionists?
General guidelines for role behavior.
What latitude do we have in the way we act out our roles according to symbolic interactionists?
Latitude to modify our behavior based on subjective meanings and perceptions.
What do symbolic interactionists refer to the shaping process as?
The social construction of reality.
What do symbolic interactionists contend regarding concepts like race, ethnicity, and gender?
They do not exist objectively but emerge through a socially constructed process.
Who developed a dramaturgy approach to social interaction that symbolic interaction takes its lead from?
Erving Goffman
How are gender roles structured according to symbolic interaction?
By one set of scripts designed for males and another designed for females.
What does feminist theory aim to understand?
Gender inequality
What does feminist theory focus on besides gender inequality?
Gender politics, power relations, and sexuality.
How does feminist theory align with conflict theory?
It asserts that structured social inequality is maintained by ideologies accepted by both the privileged and the oppressed.
What is the goal of feminists in terms of women’s empowerment?
Increasing women’s empowerment to allow them to exert control over their own destinies.
What practical benefits may women in patriarchal marriages perceive according to the feminist perspective?
Important economic resources and social support.
What critique does the feminist perspective tend to minimize?
The practical benefits of marriages.
What do feminist scholars find difficult to reconcile in terms of traditional and egalitarian marriages?
Research suggesting that women in traditional marriages are as satisfied with their choices as women in egalitarian marriages.
What is the primary function of the Y chromosome?
To determine that a fertilized egg will evolve into a male.
What does the X chromosome control?
A lot more than sex determination, including genes controlling intelligence and the primary gene responsible for social skills.
Where are several genes controlling intelligence located?
Only on the X chromosomes.
What hormone regulates the menstrual cycle in females?
Estrogen.
What role does testosterone play in males?
It plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues and promotes secondary sexual characteristics.
What hormone supports pregnancy in females?
Progesterone.
What is the primary sex hormone in males?
Testosterone.
What are the effects of higher levels of testosterone in males?
They are linked to aggressive and impulsive behavior, jockeying for power, attempts to influence or dominate others, and physical expressions of anger.
What lobe of the brain do men tend to specialize in?
The left lobe.
What lobe of the brain do women tend to specialize in?
The right lobe.
Why are men more impulsive than women?
Men have larger amygdala and more testosterone.
What brain structures in women explain their less impulsive nature and indirect aggression?
The early and larger development of their prefrontal cortex, as well as the larger insula.
What ability do women have in terms of brain function?
Women have a great ability to use the corpus callosum, connecting both sides of the brain and accessing distinct capabilities of both lobes.
