Test #1 Flashcards
Tendency to reduce individuals to assumed characteristics are essential in every member of category
Essentializing
Essentializing presumes that…
All members of sex are alike
A problem with essentializing is that it obscures…
The range of individual characteristics
Sex, gender, culture and communication are all…
Interlinked
Designation based on biology
Sex
_____ or _____ based on external genitalia and internal sex organs
Male, female
Genitalia and sex markers are determined by…
Chromosomes
T/F
Males more sensitive to hormonal activity than females
True
Biology influences how we develop but doesn’t determine what 2 things?
- ) Behavior
2. ) Personality
Socially constructed and expressed
Gender
- A person’s perception of one’s own sex
- Neither innate nor necessarily stable
- Defined by society
- Varies across cultures
- Varies over time
Gender Identity
Gender is…
Learned
3 things that Western culture classifies people by
- ) Sex
- ) Gender
- ) Sexual orientation
Assumed connections between these categories
Preference for romantic and sexual partners
Sexual orientation
Person who fits conventional categories (What is considered “normal”)
“Cis” prefix
Cross from gender identity assigned at birth
“Trans” prefix
Refers to individuals who feel that their biologically assigned sex doesn’t match their true sexual identity
Transgender
Individuals have had surgery and/or hormonal treatments to make their bodies more closely match the sex with which they identity
Transsexual
MTF
Post-transition males to females
FTM
Post-transition females to males
- Enjoy wearing clothing of other sex
- May wear just one or two articles of clothing associated with other sex
- May wear other sex’s clothes to express gender identities inconsistent with their sex
- Majority are heterosexual males
Cross-dressers/trasvestites
Structures, institutions practices that reflect and uphold social order
Culture
Western culture is…
Patriarchal
2 levels of communication
- ) Content level of meaning
2. ) Relationship level of meaning
Literal meaning
Content level of meaning of communication
Defines the relationship between communicators by indicating each person’s identity and the communicators’ relationship to each other
Relationship level of meaning of communication
T/F
The relationship level of meaning is the primary level of communication
True
Symbols are what 3 things?
- ) Abstract
- ) Arbitrary
- ) Ambiguous
Way to describe, explain, predict relationships among phenomena
Theory
4 types of gender theories
- ) Biological
- ) Interpersonal
- ) Cultural
- ) Critical
Biological characteristics such as what 3 things account for gender differences?
- )Chromosomes
- ) Hormonal activities
- ) Brain specialization
2 focuses of biological theories
- ) Sex chromosomes
2. ) Hormonal acitivty
Which chromosome is more of a multitasker?
X- carries a large number of genes
Which chromosome evolves faster than others?
Y
- Primarily female
- Produce good cholesterol
- Blood vessels more flexible
- Strengthens immune system
Estrogen
- Primarily male
- Drug use leads to violent behavior
- Levels decrease when a male becomes a father
Testosterone
______ influence skills and tendencies
Hormones
T/F
Girls favor trucks if mother had high levels of testosterone during pregnancy
True
Males given estrogen experience what 2 things?
- ) Decline in spatial skills
2. ) Increase in verbal skills
Men sprayed with ______ show more empathy and sensitivity
Oxytocin
- Focus on how chromosomes, hormones and brain structure affect physiology, thinking and behavior
- Biological factors influence abilities and options
- Biology is edited by environmental factors
Biological theories of gender
3 theories of Interpersonal theories of gender
- ) Psychodynamic theory
- ) Social learning theory
- ) Cognitive development theory
Emphasizes interpersonal relationships within the family
Psychodynamic theory
The _____ relationship influences how we define our identity, including gender
First
Infants follow distinct _______ paths that reflect relationship with mother
Developmental
Lean by imitating others and getting responses to behavior
Social learning theory
Children imitate communication seen in what 2 forms?
- ) Media
2. ) Others
Behaviors that are_____ are reinforced
Rewarded
Cognitive development theory covers what 3 aspects?
- ) Children play active role in developing gender identity
- ) Pick models to teach themselves competency in masculine/feminine behavior
- ) Children go through several stages in developing identities
Internal mental framework that organizes perceptions and directs behavior related to gender
Gender schema (organizes clothes, toys, activities, traits, and roles appropriate for each sex)
Views of gender in 21st century America clarified by considering how other _____ express gender
Culture
T/F
Many societies view gender the same as Americans currently do
False - they view it differently
Through communication with others we learn who we are
Symbolic interactionism
Set of expected behaviors and values associated with them
Role
Direct attention to structures by which societies classify people
Critical theories
Critical theories interested in how…
Dominant gorups privilege own interests and impose on less powerful
Through critical theories we can understand how oppressed groups can,..
Become empowered
Critical theories have _____ ______
Political edge
Societies are made of different groups that have varied amounts of power and privilege
Standpoint theory
Social location is not….
Standpoint
How is standpoint earned?
Through critical reflection and engaging in struggle