However, in the Genital stage, Freud theorized that this is a time in which adolescents experiment sexually and begin to settle into romantic relationships. The next step is learning that there are shared qualities and behaviors for each gender (Bussey, 2014). The cognitive theory of gender development focus on our thought processes and how they explain our behaviour and certain psychological phenomena. If they learn new information that does not align with what they already know, they will adjust their schema so they are aligned. Epigenetics does not look at DNA, but rather things that may impact DNA mutations or the expression of DNA. What is the difference in the cognitive development of boys and girls? Other factors: Although there is strong evidence for a biological component to gender, other factors - such as cognitive factors and social learning - likely play a role as well. how does our physical development help us to understand complex ideas such as gender identity? While there was significant research done on females, less research was done on males. As children develop, parents tend to also continue gender-norm expectations. Here is a closer look at nutrition and gender and how they affect development. This approach assumes that we develop our gender identities around the age of five, which Freud calls the 'phallic stage', through specific crises he calls 'complexes'. Hypnosis was used at first and relieved her symptoms, as it had done for many patients (See Module 1). This phenomenon is not evidenced in fraternal twins or non-twin siblings to the same degree (Bevan, 2017). For example, chromosomes (female XX, male XY), reproductive organs (ovaries, testes), hormones (oestrogen, testosterone). Are there psychodynamic explanations for gender development. They include hunger, thirst, self-preservation, and sex. Our biological sex is determined at birth by our 23rd chromosome. Recent studies have shown the possible role and interaction of neuroanatomic, hormonal, and genetic factors. When we use our cognitive abilities to create things, such as tools, we change our environment. Give examples that support your conclusion. Social Science Sociology Summarize what we know about biological, social, and cognitive influences on gender development. Next, we will learn about Kohlbergs cognitive development theory and how he explained gender development. The biological factors that impact the child's development significantly are, gender, physical health, mental health, and health practice. Infants do not prefer gendered toys (Bussey, 2014). However, if they are not, and experience an unsafe environment, or lack of love and caring, they will experience maladaptive development which will result in anxiety (Harris, 2016). Although Kohlbergs theory captures important aspects, it fails to recognize things such as how gender identity regulates gender conduct and how much one adheres to gender roles through their life (Bussey, 2014). The population that I am targeting is infancy through adolescents. . Carl Jung proposes that the female gender identity develops through the Electra complex. Kohlberg is one of those theorists we will learn about later. Media includes movies, television, cartoons, commercials, and print media (e.g., newspapers, magazines). Ultimately, Freud theorized that an individuals psychosomatic distress (physical symptoms that occur due to psychological distress) was a manifestation of internal conflicts. Key Assumptions of the Biological Approach to Gender Differences Hormones play a huge role in gender differences, and it is our DNA that dictates our behaviour as men and women. To help manage this conflict, the superego develops, and the boy transfers his desire for his mother onto other women, in general. 111). When testosterone is low, the baby grows female sex organs, and its brain does not undergo significant gendered changes. So, if a schema is, Only girls cook, then a boy may apply that to themselves and learn he cannot cook. Following the Phallic stage is the Latency stage, in which Freud indicated that no real psychosexual development occurs; rather impulses are repressed. We have seen a slight shift in this in many media forms beginning in the mid to late 1980s and 1990s (Stever, 2017; Torino, 2017). Social cognitive theories of gender development explain and theorize that development is dually influenced by (1) biology and (2) the environment. Children are born in a family; inherit many traits and features from their parents. what assumption do we need to make when using the cognitive approach to understand gender? Superordinate schemas guide information for gender groups whereas own-sex schemas guide information about ones own behaviors as it relates to their own gender group (Dinella, 2017). In this section, we are going to focus on the social, environmental, and cultural aspects of gender identity development. Things can only be one or the other, and there is very little flexibility in schemas. Psychoanalysis was one of the very first theories in psychology, and we have Sigmund Freud to thank for that. Critics suggest that, although biology may play some role in gender identity development, the environmental and social factors are perhaps more powerful in most developmental areas, and gender identity development is no different. In males, testosterone levels rise sharply, developing secondary sexual characteristics such as facial hair and a deeper voice. Children between 3 to 6 months can form distinctions between male and female faces. It is theorized that we also are predisposed to gendered behavior and identification. Chapter. The social learning theory plays a major role in gender development. What are the psychological theories of gender development? (2011 ) social environment impacts the development of gender identity. Prior to birth, a mother's diet and health play a key role. She noted that ones family can strongly influence their development (or lack thereof) of this complex. The structure of personality. Before we get started, we want you to ask yourself a few questions When do we begin to recognize and label ourselves as boy or girl, and why? So, as we very briefly review this, our focus will be on the different brain structures that impact specific aspects of learning. Describe how legal and ethical considerations for group and family therapy differ from those for individual therapy, and explain how these differences might impact your therapeutic approaches for . For example, in adolescence, boys tend to be more career focused whereas girls are focused on relationships (again, this aligns with the emphasis we see placed by educators on children based on their gender). what is a strength of the gender schema theory? Likewise, they will criticize, and perhaps even reject a peer, when a peer engages in play that is inconsistent with gender expectations. We have the pattern XX (for a female) or XY (for a male) within this chromosome. The cognitive-developmental theory of gender development suggests that children adjust their view of gender based on the new information they receive as they mature. Although this has been found to be true predominantly utilizing only animal research, it is a rather simplified theory. 4.2.6.2. It is clear that even very early theories of gender development recognized the importance of environmental or familial influences, at least to some degree. The biological changes are discussed in Chapter 5. 64 terms. have been scrutinized. John Money's (1972) theory was that once a biological male or female is born, social labeling and differential treatment of boys and girls interact with biological factors to steer development. A weakness of this theory is that it is descriptive rather than explanatory. Do you think it happens very young? what is a weakness of the gender schema theory. Gender schema theory, although largely a cognitive theory, does incorporate some elements of social learning as well. Biological Influences influencing Gender Development : Anatomy [scientific study of male & female human body structures] ; Puberty [Adolescents transition to sexually mature reproductive adults] ; When one twin is transgender, it is more likely that the other twin is transgender as well. The contents of the unconscious could move from the unconscious to preconscious, but to do so, it had to pass a Gate Keeper. After an infant has been shown a gendered item (doll versus a truck) they will then stare at a photograph of the matching gender longer. Lastly, a phase in which children begin to recognize that schemas are flexible and allow for a bit more of a gray area occurs (Dinella, 2017). This theory also accounts for the entire lifespan when considering development, which is drastically different than earlier theories, such as psychodynamic theories, which focused on childhood and adolescence. A female can never fully resolve penis envy, and if taken Freuds theory is to be taken literally, a female can never fully resolve the core conflict of the Phallic Stage and will always have some fixation and thus, some maladaptive development. We took a detailed look into various socializing factors that children encounter. Furthermore, the authors point out that the social-cognitive theory is based on psychological and socio-structural determinants operating within the society. This is because we do not just model behavior, we also monitor how others react to our behaviors. If a little girl is playing with a truck and looks over and sees three girls playing with dolls, she may put the truck down and play with the dolls. Module 4 - Gender Through a Developmental Psychology Lens, Other Books in the Discovering Psychology Series, Module 1: Foundations of A Psychology of Gender, Module 2 - Studying Gender Using the Scientific Method, Module 3 - Gender Through a Social Psychological Lens, Module 5 - Gender Through a Human Sexuality Lens, Module 6 - Gender Through a Cognitive Psychology Lens, Module 7 - Gender Through a Physiological Psychology Lens, Module 8 - Gender Through a Health Psychology Lens, Module 9- Gender Through a Clinical Psychology Lens, Module 10 - Gender Through an Educational Lens, Module 11 - Gender Through an Industrial-Organizational Lens, https://www.simplypsychology.org/little-hans.html, https://www.simplypsychology.org/Psychosexual%20Development.pdf, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfeGf4Ei7F0, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz_7EQWZjmM, Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Outline potential strengths and weaknesses of these theories. The theory integrates psychological and sociostructural determinants within a unified conceptual structure. You walk into a gym for the first time. When participants act as they believe the researcher expects them to act rather than behave naturally. The gender of the child, while in the developed countries, does not impact as much as it does in developing countries. Fig. There are many factors that may lead to the patterns we see in gender socialization. Sex-based explanations explain that gendered behaviors have occurred as a way to adapt and increase the chances of reproduction. Ultimately, gender roles are divided into females focusing on rearing children and gathering food close to home, whereas males go out and hunt and protect the family. Sometimes referred to as the Electra Complex, Freud theorized that girls were upset and distressed that they had no penis (referred to as penis envy) and resented their mother for this. Suppose we use the cognitive approach to explain gender and its development. A child may develop a schema about dogs that includes knowledge that dogs are furry creatures with four legs. Thus, it appears that gender development in those exposed to DES, particularly males, is greatly impacted (Bevan, 2017). 2 Society tends to see gender as binary. Freud believed that consciousness had three levels 1) consciousness which was the seat of our awareness, 2) preconscious that included all of our sensations, thoughts, memories, and feelings, and 3) the unconscious, which was not available to us. To explain this, social cognitive theory posits that one has enactive experiences (this is essentially when a person receives reactions to gendered behavior), direct instruction (this is when someone is taught knowledge of expected gendered behavior), and modeling (this is when others show someone gendered behavior and expectations). If a child has created a schema that says boys play with trucks, when the boy is handed a truck, he will quickly choose to play with it. Horney disputed this (Harris, 2016). Jun 2017. Martin, Eisenbud, and Rose (1995) conducted a study in which they had groups of boy toys, girl toys, and neutral toys. All of these societal factors intersect and interact to influence a child's development, so much so that a child from a middle-class white family has many more opportunities than a child from a lower-income family of color. The four areas of focus include (1) evolutionary theories, (2) genetic theories, (3) epigenetic theories, and (4) learning theories (dont worry, we will explain how this is biology related, rather than cognitively or socially related). For example, boys preferred toys that an adult labeled as boy toys. We then become models for others as well! The Oedipus complex is traditionally used to describe the development of boys. They found that the majority of children recalled photos displaying stereotypical gendered behaviours more accurately than photos displaying unconventional behaviours. They focus on the ways in which children attend to and then process and organise this information, and have in common a justifiable emphasis on the active role of children in shaping their own development; they are not simply passive respondents to stereotyped information that is imposed upon them. In the social cognitive theory of gender, children's gender develops through the rewards and punishments from their parents for gender-appropriate behavior. Thus, the conflict is resolved (McLeod, 2008; Sammons, n.d.). However, there are rare exceptions to this rule. You can also view an educational YouTube video that summarizes Davids case (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfeGf4Ei7F0) as well as a short clip from an Oprah show in which Davids family appears on (linked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz_7EQWZjmM). Earn points, unlock badges and level up while studying. However, for this book, we will not get into the nitty gritty details (Bevan, 2017). Within this theory, it is assumed that children actively create their schemas about gender by keeping or discarding information obtained through their experiences in their environment (Dinella, 2017). Sociocultural theory is an emerging field of psychology that looks at the contributions of society to individual development. View. Socially and culturally, clothing is symbolized identity for everyone. Write by: . Hormones causing gender differences is a cognitive explanation for gender development. They also overestimate their sons abilities and underestimate their daughters abilities. Next, declarative fact learning, is simply learning by being presented factual information. However, if the truck is handed to a girl, she may quickly reject it (Dinella, 2017). 4.1.1.1. Although this may seem logical at the surface level, it does not account for what we see in more egalitarian homes and cultures. He suggested that children begin to understand various complexities surrounding genders, such as how to identify the gender of others and the idea that gender is constant and does not change based on superficial factors such as clothing. It is one of the major perspectives in psychology and involves such things as studying the brain, immune system, nervous system, and genetics. Culture, social, biological, and psychological factors can influence the development of psychopathology. gender labelling (ages 2-3), gender stability (age 4) and gender consistency (ages 6-7). These stages are: Gender Identity Gender Stability Gender Constancy Let's take a deeper look at each stage now. Gender identity: refers to an individual's sense of their gender. If a child's diet is insufficient or contains too many "empty calories," this may affect the child's growth and development processes. Nevertheless, few studies have addressed how gender role attitudes develop during adolescence. The complex is described as unconscious tension in which a young boy is preoccupied with his mother and hates his father, viewing him as a rival. Review the evidence linking gender differences in cognitive abilities to brain organization Some theorists propose that male and female brains are organized differently, which might account for gender differences in some gender-specific abilities. it is supported by many studies, such as Thompson (1975) and Munroe et al (1984), A weakness of this theory is that the theory is simply descriptive rather than explanatory. Cognitive studies use a range of methods such as case studies, questionnaires, lab experiments and interviews to find out about what thought patterns we have and what these mean for us. As such, the groups that formed tended to be kin and shared similar DNA. Kohlberg theorised that as children develop their cognitive abilities, their understanding of their gender and that of the people around them increases. Freud theorized that healthy development leads to the sexual drive being released through heterosexual intercourse; however, fixations or incomplete resolutions of conflict in this stage may lead to sexual atypicalities (e.g., preference for oral sex rather than intercourse, homosexual relations, etc. what were kohlberg's stages of gender development and when do they occur? To carry out the required tasks, males needed higher androgens/testosterone to allow for higher muscle capacity as well as aggression. Nie wieder prokastinieren mit unseren Lernerinnerungen. She died shortly after this interrogation on May 28, 1936. For example, girls did better academically if their parents took this approach versus very gender-traditional families. Article. Zastrow and Kirst-Ashman (2010) state that cognition involves the ability to take in information, process it, store it, and finally retrieve and use it (pg. Within learning-based biological theories, there are five types of learning theorized to occur. First, libido is the psychic energy that drives a person to pleasurable thoughts and behaviors. Clarify how biology may impact gender development through evolution, genetics, epigenetics, and learning. For example, say a little girl is playing with a truck and her peers laugh at her. Peers are strong influences regarding gender and how children play. In other words, gender identity takes place in our minds and is not biologically determined or strictly behavioural. The GFP model serves as a guiding framework for research on gender in the family context, calling for the integration of biological, social, and cognitive factors. Lets quickly recap basic biology. Since the brain makes up . Cognitive approaches focus on our thought processes and how they explain our behaviour and certain psychological phenomena. These stages relate to their age and understanding of gender. As such, she recognized that females may be limited due to this, which then leads to developing a masculinity complex. Girls may also be oriented towards relationships and their appearance rather than careers and academic goals, if they are very closely identifying with traditional gender roles. Horney developed a Neo-Freudian theory of personality development that recognized some points of Freuds theory as acceptable, but also criticized his theory as being overly biased toward the male. Gender and Aggression Genetic Origins of Aggression Genetic Research on Serotonin Genetical Research on Testosterone Genetics of Aggression Innate Releasing Mechanisms Institutional Aggression in The Context of Prisons Limbic System Media Influences on Aggression Neural and Hormonal Mechanisms in Aggression Serotonin Research