Acquisition of Gender Identity and Gender Roles - Term Paper Example

ACQUISITION OF GENDER IDENTITY AND GENDER ROLES Written by Presented to [mentor’s In partial fulfillment of the requirements of[program name] [date] ACQUISITION OF GENDER IDENTITY AND GENDER ROLES It is so easy to assume that one is either male or female. When I consider myself as a female, I am able to give it a wholistic meaning, without giving a second thought at the depth of the statement that I just made. Yet if we are to study the minds and theories of the greatest psychologists, and the best of medical practitioners, sociologists and feminists, we would be in error to suppose this is a minor statement. Gender identity and role development is a complex process which is influenced by many factors. These factors can be broadly divided into cognitive and environmental factors, however, both remain intertwined and deeply connected to each other (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). From the very start, the gender identity is determined through the sex of the person at conception, the influence of the male and female hormones secreted in the body, and the societal definitions and perceptions which identify the requirements of roles particular to one gender (Cox, 2008). The biological factors remain the core of defining gender identity and roles. However, each child passes through numerous phases of cognitive and psychological development, which creates the initial pattern of self identity as a sexual being (Sammons, nd). One of the primary researches and understanding in gender identity and gender role has been achieved through Kohlberg’s development theory (Cox, 2008). He states that children, according to their mental capacity, growth and approach develop the sense of gender identity in three successive stages. The first stage which takes place at 2 years of age is when the child identifies himself as male or female (Cox, 2008 and Sammons, nd). The second stage is called gender stability, which takes place at age four years. At this stage, the child realizes that he or she is permanently male or female, that is, gender is a permanent phenomenon (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). The final stage, the gender constancy, takes place at ages 5 and 7 years. At this stage, the child realizes that clothes or change of appearance does not alter the sex of the person (Cox, 2008). I remember how it was very difficult for my mother to make me confirm to things that are considered girlish. At first, it was always the correction of me being a girl and not a boy. Then further emphasis on me being a girl, by showing me what I should like and which are boy things to do. Finally, I was instructed how to dress and act, with constant barrage of statements starting with “little girls don’t do that”. However, the age seven was not the age where I finally understood myself as a female person. Kohlberg’s theory does not acknowledge that gender identity and roles continue to develop, alter and change with time during a person’s life, and therefore, are not limited to the childhood (Cox, 2008 and Sammons, nd). For example, I was able to understand my true physical appearance and role as a female upon reaching puberty. Before that the play times playing a mother only meant having a little baby to feed and tuck in to sleep. I truly began to understand the complexity of the role as a mother upon reaching teenage. I was able to demonstrate another shortcoming of this theory that a person, although aware of his or her gender, may not show interest in the stereotypical roles or activities that that society presents to them (Sammons, nd). Therefore, while gender identity may help a person realize that he or she is male or female, there are many other factors which determine whether he or she will behave in the societal patterns set down or presented to them (Cox, 2008). Here the concept of gender stereotyping evolves. This concept has been defined in the gender schema theory, which aims to identify the social contexts that are involved in gender identity and role (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). The theory starts from the basics of gender identity as stated by Kohlberg but differentiates itself on many grounds. Firstly, it only identifies the gender constancy and identity as a step rather than the final conclusion towards gender identity (Sammons, nd). This, according to the theory is only the base, from which a person learns to explore the further concepts of gender, sexuality, and societal behavior (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). From thereon the societal and environmental perspectives come into play. The boys are told that they should be doing things boys and men do, and like things that males do. The girls are told they have to behave and carry themselves in a certain way, and show interests towards certain things (Cox, 2008 and Sammons, nd). I remember when I would be playing with dirt in the garden my mother would scold me, however, it was ok for my little brother to do so. I was supposed to help around the house, my mother saying that this is what little girls are supposed to do. I was also told how blue is a boy’s color and girls should be wearing pinks. It was ok for a boy to fight and hit, but not alright for me to pick a fight. I was therefore, being conditioned to confirm to what ‘other girls were doing’. But does it really work. Many male dominated fields such as construction, architecture, sport, and engineering is now seeing a surge of females in the profession. Similarly, men are taking interest in fashion, child rearing and child minding jobs, and caretaking roles (Cox, 2008). Although in many societies, this may be seen as a role reversal, from the theoretical perspective, it is the manner one identifies his or her gender and then explores the different areas of self and self identity (Cox, 2008). In both the cognitive and social perspective theories, one can see one common line that unites them. That is both theories are applied based on observational learning (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). This observational learning is achieved through four sets of learning processes. The first are the attentional processes, which include modeled events and observer attributes. The formal includes salience, affective valence, complexity, prevalence, accessibility and functional value (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). The latter includes perceptual set, cognitive capabilities, cognitive preconceptions, arousal level, and acquired preferences (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). The second set of learning processes include cognitive construction of symbolic coding and cognitive organization, the rehearsal which includes cognitive and enactive components, and the observer attributes of cognitive skills and structures (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). The third set of learning processes includes production processes. These include representational guidance involving response production and guided enactment, the corrective adjustment which includes monitoring of enactments, feedback information and conception matching, and finally the observer attributes of physical capabilities and component sub-skills (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). Finally the last set of learning processes includes motivational processes, comprising of external incentives, comprised of sensory, tangible social and control components, the vicarious incentives made up of observed benefits and costs, the tangible and self evaluative self-incentives, and the observer attributes of incentive preferences, social comparison biases, and internal standards respectively (Bussey and Bandura, 1999). In all these times, I was expected to observe the females of my family, such as my mother and grandmother, to take up interests that they followed, and abstain from the boy activities that I was very fond of. In all this while, I was not able to understand the deep societal influence that was being put on me to behave in a particular feminine way. Each person has similar experiences in identifying their role as a male or female. However, their true significance and depth is understood only through the passage of time. CONCLUSIONS There are numerous researches and theories that have shown the complicated processes involved in the development of gender identity and roles (Sammons, nd). These roles and perceptions are a direct result of the biological, cognitive and societal influences that create different perceptions of gender in an individual. Therefore, while one person may comply completely with the gender roles that are presented by the society and the cognitive functions, others in the same society may show an entirely different pattern of gender identification. Not only this, but these theories point towards the active roles of children towards their own development (Sammons, nd). They are able to respond, learn and create a personality according to their own observations and understandings of the various influences that they are exposed to. In conclusion, understanding the different components involved in gender identity will help better understand the methods with which it is achieved. REFERENCES Bussey K and Bandura A (1999). Social Cognitive Theory of Gender Development and Differentiation. Psychological Review 1999, 106(4), 676-713. Cox F D (2008). Human Intimacy: Marriage, the Family and Its Meaning. Cengage Learning 2008. Sammons A (nd). Gender: Cognitive THoery. How Do Cognitive Psychologists Explain Gender Development? Development Psychology. Site last accessed on December 10th, 2010 from http://www.psychlotron.org.uk/newResources/developmental/AS_AQB_gender_CognitiveBasics.pdf Read More