PSYCH 291 Midterm Exam Flashcards
Feminism [DEF]
- The theory of the political economic and social equality of the sexes
- Organized activity on behalf of women’s rights and interests
Patriarchy [DEF]
A system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it.
Sex [DEF]
Includes the physical and physiological features that a person has (chromosomes, genitals, etc.)
EX: Female, Male, Intersex
Gender [DEF]
- Social expectations associated with femininity and masculinity (behaviors, clothing, etc.)
- Various ways that a person presents themselves to the world
Androcentrism [DEF]
- Men are identified as both the norm and the ideal.
- Assumes that male standards are “gender-neutral”
- Men are constructed as the standard of what’s expected/normal
- Women are often portrayed as peculiar, strange, different, non-normal
Stereotypes [DEF]
- Organized widely shared sets of beliefs about the characteristics of members of particular groups
Normal cognitive process; simplifies and organized information + assists memory
Often outside of conscious awareness; automatic; habitual
Social consensus - endorsed by a majority of people
Difficult to modify, even with disconfirming evidence
Gender Socialization [DEF]
- The process of learning the social expectations and attitudes associated with one’s sex.
- The process of learning differently gendered social roles.
(“Act like a lady/man”)
Cognitive Load [DEF]
- Cognitive load is the amount of mental resources a person has to perform a task
- Cognitive load is typically increased when demands are imposed on a person
- High Cognitive load makes things more difficult to pay attention to, rehearse and remember
Objectification Theory [DEF]
Emphasis on the treating women’s bodies as sexual objects has a variety of negative psychological consequences
Objectification is the process of another person equating someone with an object
Locates other person as the “looker” and the objectification person as the “looked at”
Commodification [DEF]
Commodification is the process by which something is turned into a commodity, primarily through advertising, consumer culture.
Transformation of something from a subject to an object
Puberty [DEF]
Pubery is a period of rapid growth involving biological events with social consequences
Most rapid physical growth growth humans experiences after early infancy
Growth/weight spurt in girls
Rapid weight gain in hips, breasts, and buttocks
PMDD [DEF]
PMDD is defined as severe form of PMS affecting 3-8% of menstruating women
PMDD consists of a cluster of affective, behavioral and somatic symptoms that recur monthly
Subsidized [DEF]
When commonly used goods are provided in public spaces for no charge.
Examples: toilet paper, public water fountain, hand sanitizer
Psychological Essentialism
When someone applies essentialist assumptions, they are often fixed, inductively potent (highly informative or meaningful), natural, discrete
Gender is described as natural, based on biology, immutable or fixed, and mutually exclusive
Non-binary [DEF]
Any gender that isn’t exclusively male or female. Non-binary people may feel some mix of both male and female, somewhere in between, or something completely different.
Heterosexism [DEF]
Stems from the assumption that heterosexuality is natural, universal, and therefore, inevitable
Heteronormativity [DEF]
Describes how social institutions and policies reinforce the presumption that people are heterosexual and that gender and sex are natural binaries.
Stigma [DEF]
A belief or attitude that reduces the bearer of stigma from a whole and usual person to a tainted, discounted one.
Minority Stress Model
Minority stress theory offers a hypothesis that sexual minority health disparities are produced by excess exposure to social stress faced by sexual minority populations due to their stigmatized social status.
1. Distal stressors include discriminatory policies and laws, major life events, everyday discrimination/microaggressions
2. Proximal stressors arise from socialization processes where sexual and gender minority people learn to reject themselves for being LGBT
Sexual Fluidity [DEF]
- Argues change and fluidity in identity is the norm
- The degree to which someone has non-exclusive attraction predicts their sexual fluidity
- Dichotomous/binary models of gender and sexuality don’t capture the complexity, diversity, + fluidity of gender
Orgasm Gap
The female orgasm isn’t included in the dominant definition of sex.
Hostile Sexism [DEF]
Overtly negative sentiment that is typically directed at women whose behavior violates feminine-stereotyped gender roles.
Punishes women who deviate from traditional gender roles; communicates a view of gender relationships as competitive, with women wanting to dominate men and threaten men’s higher status in society.
Benevolent Sexism [DEF]
Belief that men should protect, cherish and provide for women (ex. men should always pay for dinner when on a date with a woman).
Encourages women to abide by gender roles in exchange for protecting and financial security; idealizes and flatters women who embody traditional ideals, and portrays women as morally pure and unique caring, but also as weak and unable to take care of themselves.
Explain The Second Shift
Women tend to spend for time per day on household activities than Men
Hochschild argued that working wives and mothers spend far more time on household labor and childcare than their husbands (The second shift)
This means they essentially have a second job (creating a leisure gap).
Differences in Relationship Outcomes between Same-Sex and Heterosexual Relationships
Same-Sex relationships tend to be more balanced and less scripted by gender roles than heterosexual marriage
Ex. Divisions of household labor tend to be more equitable
Reproductive Justice [DEF]
The right to form a family (with or without children), right to delay family formation, and right to not form families.
Sexual Vigilance [DEF]
Descriptions of the work they did to be and feel safe in sexual experiences with male partners
3 types of labor: psychological, contraceptive, and relational
Motherhood Mystique [DEF]
Describes an idealized view of motherhood:
1. That women are uniquely suited to raise children
2. That all women want to be mothers
3. That motherhood is the ultimate fulfillment of a woman’s life
Health Disparities [DEF]
If a health outcome is seen to a greater or lesser extend between populations, there is disparity
What does the 14th Amendment say?
Citizens have certain rights and privileges that the state cannot deprive them of, like due process and property rights
No person holding a public office can have rebelled against the U.S.
Stereotype Threat
- When an individual fears they will be judged based on a group’s negative stereotype.
- A disruptive psychological state that people experience when they feel at risk for conforming a negative stereotype associated with their social identity.
Intimate Justice
Inequality in intimate relationships
What are some of the psychological outcomes of objectification?
- Decreased self esteem
- Constant monitoring of one’s appearance
- Increase cognitive load
Cisgender
What are some of the factors that contribute to the orgasm gap?
Women have increased mental load
“Goal” of sex is male orgasm
Sexual vigilance
Why does the U.S. have some of the highest divorce rates?
- Divorce has become less stigmatized
- Women can control their own finances
- Divorce laws have changed
Factors that lead to doctors dismissing women’s pain:
- Women are seen as more emotional sensitive
- Women experience pain regularly during menstruation
- Women’s pain seen as less serious
Allostatic Load
Greater wear and tear on the body’s adaptive systems
- Black Women have the highest
