Psychology of Women

1
Psychology of Women

• PSYC 330
• Fall 2010
• Tammy Lynn Kirichenko

2
Calendar Description

• An examination of the major theories, research
  methodologies, and data in the field of the
  psychology of women. Philosophical values of
  feminism and the psychological impact of women's
  historical roles in society will be considered
  throughout.
• Prerequisites PSYC 101, 102, and two 200 level
• courses in the social sciences (or permission of
• the instructor)

3
Syllabus
4
Questions
5
Other Stuff
6
Introductions
7
(No Transcript)
8
Why Psychology of WOMEN?

• An examination of the psychology of
• women looks at the ways womens shared
• experience is distinct from that of men
• (Lips, 1999)

9
Why do you think that there is not a Psychology
of Men course?
10
Potential Topics

• Gender Theories
• Stereotypes
• Friendship Other Relationships
• Female Aggression
• Violence Against Women
• The Culture of Youth Beauty
• Communication (differences between women and men)
• Portrayals of Females in the Media
• Sexuality
• Power Leadership
• Women and Mental Illness
• Other?

11
Selected Discussion Topics (example)

• Should women and girls (of any age) be encouraged
  to participate in beauty pageants?
• Discuss (and jot down your conclusions)

12
Should women and girls (of any age) be encouraged
to participate in beauty pageants?

• Positives
• Competition can be healthy
• Pride in accomplishment
• Scholarships
• Opportunity to do humanitarian work
• Okay if it is the girl/womans own choice

• Negatives
• OVERLY competitive
• Many girls are forced into it
• Focus on superficial qualities
• Can promote unhealthy behaviours (e.g., lead to
  eating disorders)

13
Introduction
14
Research Background

• From Princess to Sex-Object
• A Content Analysis of Portrayals of Femininity in
  Popular Media Directed Toward
• Girls and Young Women

15
Research Background

• content analysis of various media
• Clothing
• Disney Animated Features (princess)
• Lyrics
• Music Videos
• Toys (product descriptions)

16
Purposes

• to examine popular media and the ways in
• which females are portrayed in terms of
• (a) physical appearance
• (b) gender-stereotypical roles
• (c) sexuality
• (d) values and personality characteristics
• (e) expectations

17
(No Transcript)
18
Objectification Theory
19
Objectification Theory

• Objectification theory was proposed by
  Fredrickson and Roberts (1997) as their attempt
  to explain how females are socialised to
  internalise observers perspectives of their
  bodies
• This, in turn, leads to a preoccupation with
  ones own physical appearance (self-objectificatio
  n)
• They argue When objectified, individuals are
  treated as bodies and, in particular, as bodies
  that exist for the use and pleasure of others
  (Fredrickson, Roberts, Noll, Quinn, Twenge,
  1998, p. 269).

20
Consequences of Objectification

• The consequences of exposure to objectifying
  images, words, or ideas often manifest in ways
  that are not always easily identifiable
• For instance, internalising an observers
  perspective can increase a females shame and
  anxiety about her own physical appearance/attracti
  veness, decrease her awareness of internal bodily
  states, and, subsequently, inhibit her ability
  for peak motivational states (Fredrickson
  Roberts, 1997)
• This lack of internal awareness may make an
  individual more vulnerable to developing mental
  health problems such as unipolar depression,
  sexual dysfunction, and eating disorders
  (Fredrickson Roberts, 1997)

21
Sexual Objectification

• Sexual objectification occurs when a womans
• body is treated as an object (especially an
  object
• that exists for the pleasure and use of others),
• and is illustrated interpersonally through gaze
  or
• checking out, and in the representation of
• women in the media very few women are able
• to avoid contexts that may be potentially
• objectifying. (Slater Tiggemann, 2002, p. 343)

22
Objectifying Media Images

• This is apparent in the media
• e.g., music lyrics and videos, magazine covers
  and advertisements, television, movies, etc.
• Women often put themselves on display (e.g.,
  wearing revealing clothing, dancing or acting
  provocatively in order to get attention)
• Women often refer to themselves in
  self-objectifying ways

23
Examples

• advertising that one is an object to be stared
  at, lusted after, or touched
• Music lyrics videos
• Clothing

24
Lyrics

• Examples of objectification in lyrics
• Self-objectification
• Being objectified by others
• What messages do such songs transmit to
• Girls?
• Boys?

25
Music Videos

• close ups of body parts breasts, buttocks,
  groin, midriff
• male gaze/checking out
• dancing/gyrating
• touching oneself seductively/sexually suggestive

26
Clothing Text

• Seven themes emerged from analyses of the
  clothing text (/97)
• The text in each category included words related
  to
• Innocence (9)
• Naughtiness (11)
• Objectification (29) 30
• Princessy (22)
• Spoiled (12)
• Superiority (7)
• Competitiveness (7)

27
(No Transcript)
28
Should we close our eyes ?

• merely encountering words (visually) that
  describe ones physical appearance activated a
  state of self-objectification in women (and led
  to greater appearance anxiety see Roberts
  Gettman, 2004)
• imagine all of the situations in which females
  are exposed to such words
• and, therefore, are at risk for feelings of
  self-shame, disgust, anxiety, and
  unattractiveness

29
Thoughts?
30
Social Identity
31
Social Identity

• We think of ourselves in terms of various
  identities. Some of these may include
• Gender
• Ethnicity
• Nationality
• Religion
• Sexual Orientation
• Talents
• Accomplishments
• Appearance
• Relationships

32
Gender Theories

• One of the first of these identities that
  develops is gender identity
• Gender identity is the personal construction and
  acceptance of the self as male or female (Bukatko
  Daehler, 2003), which most children acquire by
  the age of three (Santrock, 2004).
• Gender roles, however, are socially constructed
  sets of expectations that influence how females
  and males think, feel, and behave (Santrock,
  2004).
• Although gender-role socialisation is a life-long
  process, it is particularly noticeable during
  childrens formative years (Marliene, 1999).

33
1. Psychoanalytic/Identification

• From an early age, girls learn to feel inferior
  to and envious of males
• Freud
• Development and resolution of the Oedipus
  Complex Castration anxiety Penis envy
• Horney
• Unconscious fear of vaginal penetration
• Girls are valued less than boys and are treated
  as though their sexuality is the most important
  part of their identity

34
2. Social Learning

• From birth, children are treated in
  gender-specific ways, and parents and other
  adults reinforce gender-specific attitudes and
  behaviours.
• Gender identity, therefore, is formed through
  imitation, direct reinforcement for sex-typed
  activities, and vicarious learning from peer or
  adult same-sex models (Burr, 1998).
• Bandura (1986) refers to these phenomena as
  differential reinforcement and observational
  learning.

35
3. Cognitive Developmental

• Children mature through interaction with their
  environment and take an active role in organising
  their world they create schemas (i.e., mental
  categories) that are fluid and that emerge
  through interaction with their social environment
  (Marliene, 1999)
• Kohlberg (1966, as cited in Levy Carter, 1989)
  proposed several stages of gender development
• gender identity children are capable of
  labelling themselves and others by gender (based
  on physical features)
• gender stability children understand that
  gender does not change over time and
• gender constancy children understand that
  gender is constant across time and situations,
  and that it is independent from what they wear or
  how they behave.

36
4. Gender Schema/Enculturated Lens Theory

• The development of gender identity is embedded in
  the socio-historical context of each culture, and
  culture operates as a lens through which gender
  identity and roles are defined and passed on from
  one generation to the next (Bem, 1993).
• Gender schema theorists consider both cognitive
  developmental and social learning theories (i.e.,
  schemas are socialised cognitive networks of sex
  and gender roles) as components of gender schema
  theory.
• Gender schemacity refers to judgements about the
  social world as being organised into female and
  male categories (Ruble Stangor, 1986).
  Individuals with strong gender schemas are more
  susceptible to stereotypic perceptions and
  behaviours, whereas gender aschematic individuals
  tend to be less bound by stereotypical roles and
  perceptions (Bem, 1999 Ruble Stangor, 1986).
• Although children learn about their own sex and
  sex-/gender roles primarily through interactions
  with others (e.g., caregivers, siblings), they
  also internalise gender-role stereotypes from
  books, songs, television, and movies (Thorne,
  1993), and learn sex-typed behaviour from these
  symbolic models (Burr, 1998).

37
Stereotypes
38
Gender Stereotypes

• Gender stereotypes differ from many racial
  stereotypes in that people often want to confirm
  them. Many men want to be masculine (assertive
  and dominant) many women want to be feminine
  (gentle and self-less). Not only do people often
  internalize, value, and agree with sex roles and
  gender stereotypes, but they also feel societal
  pressure to conform. (Worchel, Cooper, Goethals,
  Olson, 2000, p. 212)

39
Stereotypes Roles

• Women are
• Nurturers
• Domestic
• Occupations
• Teachers, nurses, secretaries
• Other examples?

40
Stereotypes Attitudes Behaviours

• Women are preoccupied with their appearance
• Women are overly emotional
• Weak
• Dependent
• Need to be rescued
• Women are ?

41
Media Models

• Childhood
• toys, books, audio-visual media, role models and
  adult influences, computers
• Adolescence
• books, television movies, magazines, music
  videos, role models (e.g. actors, models,
  musicians), fashion, video games, internet
• Adulthood
• values, stereotypes, portrayals are still being
  reinforced (e.g., reality television)
• internalized ? cumulative effect
• Prince Charming (aka Mr. Right), the fairy
  tale wedding

42
The Princess Phenomenon

• Fairy tales
• Books, dolls, tiaras, castles
• Disney
• Books, movies, video games, merchandise
• Clothing
• T-shirts, jewelry, accessories
• Electronics
• DVD players, televisions, ipods, cell phone
  covers
• Household appliances and accessories
• Toasters, dishes, bedding, bathroom decor
• Movies
• A Cinderella Story Mean Girls The Princess
  Diaries

43
Television

• Commercials (e.g., toothpaste/mouthwash)
• Reality Shows (e.g., The Bachelor)
• Other?