Psychobiological Differences

Social scientist find it attractive to accept biological explanation concerning differences because, first biological explanations have the ring of “true” science to them: Because their theories are based on “objective scientific facts,” the arguments of natural scientists are extraordinary persuasive (Kimmel 20). The second biological explanations seem to accord with our own observations: Women and men seem too different to us most of the time (Kimmel 20). For example, women are more emotional therefore they seem to love chick flicks because of the meanings and actions of love, meanwhile men are more aggressive so they prefer to watch action movies. Lastly the third biological explanation would be that there’s also a certain conceptual tininess to biological explanations, because the social arrangements between women and men seem to stem directly and inevitably from the differences between us (Kimmel 20).

Extreme stereotyping of gender is harmful and toxic. They don’t allow people to fully express themselves and their emotions. “A real man does not cry.”, this statement is

* the degree to which someone is able to adjust behavior in response to external factors.

In a place called Earth, there are many types of genders. As we hear the word “gender”, males and females are typically the words that pop up in our head. With that being said, there are social norms of how males and females should be raised in a specific way. The males are raised to be aggressive and physically fit. While females are passive and submissive. As the stereotypes of gender continues to grow, it slowly damages the people that do not fit in society's point of view. With that discouragement constantly following us everywhere, many of us find ways to fit in society’s expectations. In this case, being born as a male and not fitting or reinforcing in the stereotype has changed me dramatically. The pressure of not fitting in or reinforcing made me change my physical look, dressing semi-formal, challenging the stereotype of how males should be aggressive and challenging the stereotype of having emotions.

As a biological female, in more ways than not, I tend to follow the expected roles of a traditional women. Associated with the role of a female are certain personality traits, behaviors, appearances, and occupations. Females are seens as gentle, emotional, nurturing, soft-spoken, cooperative, and dependent. Females are expected to be “pretty” by using makeup, skincare, and haircare products. Longer hair is seen as feminine, as well as, the color pink. In addition, women are expected to pursue careers as teachers, nurses, social workers, and secretaries because these careers required traits and characteristics which are associated with “female.” I view myself as a gentle person, but I am also a strong and relentless soccer and rugby player.

This article gave me a different outlook on what males go through in our society. Lately we have been talking about what women go through and their stereotypes. The gender roles that society place on each gender takes a toll on everyone.

As we have seen gender stereotypes and the subsequent gender roles which they encourage can often serve a good purpose but they do become problematic when the lines are blurred and we can no longer distinguish between nature and nurture.

The biological understanding of race in the United States stems from the biology of each person. It was believed that people from different places had different genetics and genes I their body, accounting for different traits in each people. These people could be grouped together by their biological traits because their similarities in genes would make them look alike. People wanted to believe that there actually are true biological differences between people. Race in the past and present (somewhat) has been categorized based on continental origin, skin color, nose structures, hair type, and even differences in blood. To define a person’s race, someone could ask questions like: “what type of hair do they have, curly or straight? Is their skin

In other words, woman as a whole cannot be simply categorized by biological or behavioral stereotypes. Personally, “Gender” are more persuasive and less biased since its biological demonstration properly prove its quoted arguments. The differences of femininity and masculinity roughly differentiate female from male, but the problem is that these stereotypes are incomplete and too opposite. Citing myself as an example, I am a normal and healthy female even though my hobbies are taekwondo and LOL (League of Legends, a Warm-blooded online game). As a result, our gender personalities are socially constructed by the embedded stereotypes, so that these traits are not innate of our nature. I played Barbies and dressed in pink when I was a child not because that I was fascinating by them but because I was taught to be consistent with my “girl’s nature”. However it is not a severe issue since we can stop learning once we fully developed self-awareness. Nevertheless, the interesting myth is why femininity and masculinity are entirely disconnected and polarized even though there are many irrefutable evidences proving that overlap of genders are far more than the differences of them. Gender polarization starts when the culture exaggerates the differences of gender and the distinctions becomes even more all-inclusive based on the arguments from a book “The Lenses of Gender ” written by Sandra Bem. Although the real reason of polarization remains unknown and mysterious, the truth is, just like what “Gender” states, the structure of our society will be changed if roles of gender can be

Gender stereotypes are highly prescriptive. The qualities they ascribe to women and men tend also to be ones that are required of women and men. For example, the stereotypic belief that women are warm and caring is matched by a societal prescription that they should be warm and caring. Similarly, the stereotypic belief that men are strong and agentic is matched by a societal prescription that they should be strong and agentic. (269)

Cecilia Ridgway, in “Framed by Gender: How Gender Inequality Persists in the Modern World,” holds that gender exists as an organizing social force. We value certain stereotypes of how people of a certain gender should act and incorporate these expectations into our social relations. Men, Ridgeway explains, are typically viewed as having more “competence, assertiveness, confidence, independence, forcefulness, and dominance” (Ridgeway, 2011) in social relations. Women, on the other hand, are viewed as valuing “emotional expressiveness, nurturance, interpersonal sensitivity, kindness, and responsiveness” (Ridgeway, 2011). According to Ridgeway, these gender stereotypes are

Stereotypes are all around us. They surround different racial groups, countries, people, and genders to name a few. Although many of them are false, some do have some truth to them. John Gray addressed gender stereotypes in his book, Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus. One particular quote states that, “A man’s sense of self is defined by his ability to achieve results...A woman’s sense of self is defined through her feelings and the quality of her relationships”. John Gray’s quote is valid in the way that men and women often get their sense of self through different stimuli due to their upbringing and the gender cues in society.

The article Gender Role Models ... who needs ‘em?! By Stephen Hicks encouraged me to reflect on my childhood gender roles as well as how I portray my gender roles today. After learning about the socialization theory I realize my parents were traditional towards gender roles and have incorporated multiple theories of human growth and development into my gender development. I have also learned how my gender roles have gradually transformed since I was a child. Therefore, this article has brought to my attention several feelings and thoughts about my past and how I was raised as well as how my gender roles have changed as I have developed.

Organisations are comprised of unique individuals usually working in collaborative arrangements. Think of some of the people that you have worked with on one or more projects in an organisation. Referring to theory, in what way did they, through their unique characteristics (such as preferred roles, personality, perception, behaviour, values and attitudes, cultural background, abilities or skills) assist or hinder the organisation in achieving one or more of its goals? What are the implications for managers?