Psychology 1230: Psychology of Adolescence

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Psychology 1230 Psychology of Adolescence

• Don Hartmann
• Fall 2004

Lecture 12 Gender I Introduction
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Administrative Announcements

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• Item 7 of Study Guide 5 should be tossed out!
  (Thanks, Laura!)

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Discussion Topic 16

• 16. Androgyny Justice League
  (Summary-Evaluation due on Monday, October 17th)
  Argue either for or against androgyny as the way
  to go in raising your boy/girl children. What
  form would your childrearing take based upon your
  choice? Respond to at least one of the other
  commentators comments

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Discussion Topic 17

• 17. Genital Herpes Whippets III
  (Summary-Evaluation due on Tuesday, October
  18th) The earlier version of our text contained
  the interesting dilemma of a girl who has genital
  herpes, and what she should or should not tell
  her boyfriend about her herpes. What do you say?
  Reply to at least one other commentators
  responses as well

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Discussion Topic 18

• 18. Santrocks Handling of Sexuality 4?1? III
  (Summary-Evaluation due on Thursday October
  20th) What is your opinion of the manner in
  which our text author, Santrock, handles
  sexuality (Chapter 7). Is it too preachy? Does
  he tip-toe around issues that should be handled
  more frankly? Does he focus too much on the
  negative, and not enough on the positive? Were
  you embarrassed by any of the coverage? Comment
  on anothers responses if you like.

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WEB Discussion Process

• Group 1 due 2 due 3 due 4 due
• Whippets 09/12 (09/19) 10/03 (10/03) 10/18
• Hotties 09/13 (No takers) 10/05
• 4?1? 09/19 (09/19) 10/04 (10/20)
• GypsyMafia 09/20 (09/20) 10/07
• JusticeLeague 09/21 (09/28) 10/17
• Psyched 09/22 (09/22) 10/12
• PithHelmets 09/23 (09/23) 10/10
• MAJACS 09/26 (09/26) 10/13
• ----------
• Note Anyone can contribute to any WEB
  discussion group members are responsible to
  summarizing the discussion. The last day to
  contribute to any discussion is 3 days before the
  due date. Dates in parenthesis indicate the date
  handed in. Bolded dates indicate that material
  handed in was incomplete more is required.

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Handout Summary

• Handout WEB
• Date
  Date
• 17. Lect. 4 Introduction to Theory 09/02
• 18. Lect. 5 Bandura 09/02
• 19. Supplemental Lecture Termpaper 09/06
• 20. Lect. 6 Method I 09/07
• 21. Lect. 7 Method II 09/09
• 22. Lect. 8 Puberty 09/13
• 23. Lect. 9 Piaget 09/16
• 24. Lect. 11a Social Inform. Process. 09/20
• 25. Lect. 10 Social Cognition 09/26
• 26. Study Guide 5 09/30
• 27. Lect. 11 Identity 10/03
• -----
• Indicates handouts discussed in class.

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Overview Gender I

• Goals What are the important Gender Difference?
  And what are their causes (the Gender Riddle)?
• This material intersects with the text
• discussions on pp. 202-208
• Lecture topics
• Introduction
• The Search for an Answer
• Biology Genetics, hormones, anatomical,
  structures
• Environment Parents, media, teachers, etc.
• Next Lecture 12b Gender II

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Supplementary References
Maccoby, E. (1998). The two sexes. Cambridge,
MA Harvard University Press Maccoby, E.,
Jacklin, C. N. (1974). The psychology of sex
differences. Palo Alto, CA Stanford University
Press.
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If you dont get it, see me!
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How do the Sexes Differ I?
Viva la differences!

• Ubiquitous Is it a girl or a boy?
• Sex differences are NOT to be interpreted to mean
  that the differences are
• Biologically based
• Indicate a deficiency in one sex or the other

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Biological/Anatomical Differences

• Primary (genitals) secondary sex
  characteristics
• Size Shoulder/Hip ratio
• Hair softness voice quality
• Probability of death, likelihood of developing
  physical or mental disturbance

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Psychological Differences

• Much of this from Maccoby Jacklin, 1974
• Cognitive skills Visual-spatial ability for men
• Personality
• Aggression Males are more aggressive than
  females for almost all types of aggression and
  across all age groups exception Relational
  aggression. Also favoring boys self-esteem
  body image (many more girls see themselves as fat
  -- even though the perceptions are not correct).
  
• Nurturance Favoring girls (but not all kinds
  e.g., bystander intervention in emergency
  situations). Also favoring girls friendliness
  focus on relationships
• Self regulation Instructors favorite finding
  Clark Hatfield study of casual sex

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The Search for Answers--in Biology I (Genetics)

• Genetics of the sex chromosome XXfemale
  XYmale)
• Not everyone has one of these genotypes (genetic
  complement)
• Genetic abnormalities
• XXY (Klinefelter's syndrome -- desexualized males
• XO (Turner's syndrome--desex- ualized female

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The Search in Biology II (Hormones)

• Chemical composition of our bodies don't differ
  much between girls and boys until puberty
• At puberty boys experience a
  dramatic increase in testosterone
• In more moderate quantities, affect such
  behaviors as aggressiveness and sex (particularly
  in males).

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The Search in Biology II (Hormones, continued)

• Hormonal abnormalities
• In extreme cases can produce hermaphroditism
  gonads of both sexes
• In milder cases of hormone baths
• Male hormones (androgen) masculinizes females
  (greater preference for outdoor play little
  interest in dolls)
• female hormones (estrogen and progesterone)
  feminize males, e.g., less assertive.

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The Search in Biology III (Anatomical Structures)

• Theorists, such as Erikson (and Freud), have
  argued that because of genital structure
• males are more intrusive and
  aggressive
• females are more inclusive and passive
• This is the doctrine that anatomy is destiny.

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The Search in the Environment I Parents (a)

• Parents the early development of
  gender typing with the pink and
  blues -- which is indeed a part of the early
  (part prebirth) socialization of our infants.
• Parents have differing expectations for their
  male female offspring
• Parents perpetuate differences in power
  division of labor for ? ? children (e.g.,
  Eagly)
• Treat ? ? children differently More
  independence for boys

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The Search in the Environment I Parents (b)

• Theories that attempt to explain how female
  children get to be like mom and male children get
  to be like dad--how to learn to identify with the
  same-gender parent
• identification theory, including the Oedipal (and
  Electra) complex (Freud)
• social learning theory, with differential
  reinforcement and modeling for girls
  and boys
• cognitive developmental theory
• gender-schema theory

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So Parents Make a Difference?
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The Search in the Environment II Peers

• Peers their roles in differentially
  socializing language, aggression,
  and other gender-related behaviors
• For example, same-gender play groups provide the
  following differences in language (Maccoby)
• girls use words to create and maintain
  relationships of closeness and equality,
  criticize others in acceptable ways, and
  interpret accurately the speech of other girls
• boys learn to assert one's position of dominance,
  to attract and maintain an audience, and to
  assert oneself when other speakers have the
  floor.
• Extensive observation of elementary school
  playgrounds resulted in Luria Herzog referring
  to them as gender schools

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Peers Made a Difference, Dont They?
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The Search in the Environment II Media

• TV depicts genders in stereotypic manner.
• ? Men as active, industrious, ambitious
• ? Women in roles relating to childcare, food
  preparation, housework, and sexual partner.
• ? Teen girls depicted as concerned with
  dating, shopping, and their appearance

• In books
• ? women as dependent upon men, witch most
  common character in childrens books a few years
  back
• ? males, the rescuers and help givers
• ? Its not new Think of fairy tales (see
  Bettelheim's The uses and abuses of enchantment,
  1976).

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The Search in the Environment III Teachers

• Attribution differences Failure of girls
  is attributed to lack of ability of boys to
  lack of effort
• Boys given more attention by teachers
• Girls begin school testing higher than boys and
  end school testing lower than boys

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This is a Rarity!
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Summary of Gender I

• The Differences The Gender Riddle
• The Search for an Answer in
• Biology Genetics, Hormones, Anatomical
  Structures
• Environment Parents, Media, Teachers
• Next Lect. 12b Gender II (Theories Androgeny)
• Go in Peace