Social Influence Of Testosterone In Men And Women

Robert Sapolsky’s collection of essays “The Trouble with Testosterone” is a thorough examination of the evolutionary roots of human behavior, by discussing the biology behind it. The book contains eighteen essays that explore this issue. The Stanford neuroscientist is a great writer: he concisely explains his views in each essay and makes it funny and easy for a layman to understand and absorb. He unpacks complex scientific ideas and explains them. The essay that I found most interesting was the titular essay, which was an examination of flawed logical reasoning that biologists make when they think there is a causal relationship between testosterone and aggression. Sapolsky, in that essay, explains why that is not true. These essays did not

Blum consulted University of California at Berkeley behavioral endocrinologist Marc Breedlove about how hormones contribute to gender differences. Breedlove’s studies support the idea that there are biological differences between males and females that distinguish each gender’s behavior. This suggests that it’s worthwhile to look at human evolution to understand why these biological differences exist – what is the purpose of masculinity and why do masculine traits such as aggression develop predominantly in males?

The easy adjustment of the Batista children led scientists to challenge the usual view that male or female behaviour is determined more by the way we are brought up than by our physiology. They suggest that there may be part of the brain which is different in males and females which governs much of what we think of as sex-role behaviour. However, critics of the Biological approach would argue the Batista’s may have been able to adopt masculine behaviour more readily because of their supportive environment, rather than biological changes. If biological factors explained gender

Both Deborah Blum’s The Gender Blur: Where Does Biology End and Society Take Over? and Aaron Devor’s “Gender Role Behaviors and Attitudes” challenges the concept of how gender behavior is socially constructed. Blum resides on the idea that gender behavior is developed mainly through adolescence and societal expectations of a gender. Based on reference from personal experiences to back her argument up, Blum explains that each individual develops their expected traits as they grow up, while she also claims that genes and testosterones also play a role into establishing the differentiation of gender behavior. Whereas, Devor focuses mainly on the idea that gender behavior is portrayed mainly among two different categories: masculinity and

The three primary arenas of research to explain biological differences between men and women are is the evolutionary theory, brain research, and endocrinological research. The evolutionary psychology declares an ability to explain psychological differences between women and men through their evolutionary trajectories (Kimmel 24). Therefore, women and man have not change

He demonstrates that in monogamous species male testosterone levels should only rise above the baseline breading level in response to social challenges, such as male-male aggression or threats to status. Since we are a monogamous species we can predict that male testosterone levels would rise sharply in response to such challenges. Therefore if a testosterone surge is expected to be found when males are challenge then we can expect a consequent increase in aggression, provided the threat is deemed relevant to reproductive competition (a dispute over women). Since this study is based on all monogamous species as a whole, one could question whether or not it can be extrapolated to the human race, as we would be comparing ourselves to animals like monkeys, when we know that we are more superior to them. However it does show that monogamous males are more likely to act aggressively when facing a threat to their reproduction, this aggression seems to be coming from the increase of testosterone which happens because of the confrontation. Another problem with this hypothesis is that in modern day some men aren’t always monogamous, especially younger men, so if this theory were true single men would have no reason to become aggressive, which Lindman proves wrong with his study, therefore the theory is outdated and no longer applies to most men.

A pattern emerges where the scholarly literature exploring this topic is largely focused on males. Reason being is that it appears that males are the sex who are predominantly homosexual in their orientation (LeVay & Baldwin, 2012). However, the sensitivity within the discourse of sexual orientation arises when it is debated upon whether one 's sexual preference is innate at birth, hence a force of nature or biology, or if it is a result of culture, nurture or environmental factors (Emmanuele et al., 2010). Furthermore, an experimental design will be proposed to further examine this topic. Comparing the three chosen studies, it is evident that a biological and endocrinological perspective does account for sexual orientation (Kraemer et al., 2006; Manning et al., 2007; Miller et al., 2008). Of the studies that currently exist on this topic, data shows that prenatal testosterone levels are indicative of sexual orientation (Kraemer et al., 2006; Manning et al., 2007; Miller et al., 2008). This paper addresses a topic that is relevant in today 's society; a topic that has, for the most part, been written off as having any scientific roots (Emmanuele et al., 2010). This paper counters that belief and in reading this essay, it will be evident that biology and endocrinology have a much stronger influence on sexual orientation than previously thought.

Despite the difference between gender and sex, this is not to say the two are independent of each other. One predication of sex is an individual 's hormones. Hormones are chemical messengers that communicate in the body. Males and females have the same hormones in their bodies, but differ in the amount, effect and areas in which they are concentrated. Male hormones are androgens, the main one being testosterone. Testosterone in males account for many of their sexual characteristics, the testosterone in the hypothalamus of the brain results in the masculinization of it. This sexual characteristic can interfere with gender identity, said to cause typically male behaviors,

Evolutionary history effects more than just genetic behaviour level. It also effects how society socializes its members. Males –despite having the innate behaviors and perspectives on relationships— experience socialization that, in essence, reinforces gender differences in perspectives and behavior. From early childhood up until adulthood, the individual is bombarded with a plethora of advertisments that portray males as more aggressive (Henslin p. 78). In television male newscasters turn female athletes into sexual objects (78). And socialization is not limited to the media. It begins in the home –within the family. In an experiment performed by Goldberg and Lewis, Mothers were more less likely to keep their boys

One of the most obvious physical changes is hair growth. I have had a significant increase in the amount of hair on my face, chest, abdomen, arms, and legs. The hair has darkened as well as gotten coarse. My skin also feels rougher, and I have experienced some acne as a outcome of that. Being that Testosterone has the ability to thicken your vocal chords, My Voice has Deepened tremendously. I have also noticed a difference in the way my body is shaped as well. Testosterone redistributes the fat in the body, and it has made me look more masculine. For example, my shoulders have broad out, and it makes me appear taller. Although these changes did not take place overnight, they certainly have made an incredible impact on the way I see

However, there are certain characteristics for men that are more ideal than others. Wade and Ferree describe this principle as hegemonic masculinity, which “refers to a type of man, idealized by men and women alike, who functions to justify and naturalize gender inequality”. They expand this concept and explain that “the hegemonic man is the “real man” in our collective imagination who theoretically embodies all the most positive traits on the masculine side of the gender binary” (2014:124). Other researchers examining hegemonic masculinity concluded that this concept supports a “social hierarchy where masculinity is hegemonic: where men dominate and women are subjugated” (Dill, Brown, and Collins 2008:1403). This dominance is particularly salient in gaming culture, where most, if not all, of the characteristics of games are geared to appeal to men. From the portrayal of men as strong heroes to the violence and aggression they are free to engage in within the game, these games are created with the hierarchy of men in mind. This hierarchy is “a rough ranking of men from most to least masculine, with the assumption that more masculine is better” (Wade and Ferree 2015:125). In order to perpetuate this hierarchy, men react negatively to anything that threatens their position. Researchers Michael Kasumovic and Jeffrey Kuznekoff explained this phenomenon of male reaction as evolutionary theory because by threatening the position a man holds in the hierarchy, one threatens his access to potential mates. They further expanded on this theory to “predict that a male’s behavior should be moderated by status and performance, such that only lower-status males that have the most to lose with a hierarchal reorganization by the introduction of a female competitor will be hostile towards female players” (2015:3). This theory explains why men tend to

Baron and Cohen (2002) suggested, in their E-S theory, that male hunters gained an evolutionary advantage systematising over women who were much more empathetic. With their theory they suggested that during stress responses, men tend to be adapted for flight or fight, whereas females are not. Shields (1975) suggested that men and women evolved to have roles that complemented each other, in order for both genders to survive. This is supported by Ennis et al 2001) who found that men show a better ‘fight or flight’ response, as during exams men’s cortisol levels are higher than women’s during the same time period. However, evolutionary explanations may partially explain why gender roles have developed but the fact that gender roles can differ globally would imply social factors are also involved, so the evolutionary explanations cannot fully explain gender roles.

The biggest question asked is how it comes around, however there is not a solid reasoning or proof of one main causal factor. According to Lippa, exposure to testosterone during the second trimester of pregnancy, when the development of both male internal and external genitals and a male-typical nervous system forms, may influence gender identity. (98) Brown counters this argument by saying the formation of a secure unconflicted gender identity and gender role is influenced by social factors, such as the character of parent’s emotional bond or the relationship each parent has with the child; he asserts that the biological factors (genetic complement or prenatal hormones) do largely determine gender identity however they do not act alone, more or less just setting the stage to go one way or the other.

Both glands produce two distinct hormones, but produce differing amounts of each hormone. Masculine hormones such as androgens and testosterone are predominately produced by male testes. These hormones at high levels can be related to aggressive behavior regardless of sex, but high levels are most commonly found in males. High levels of feminine hormones or estrogen, most commonly found in females, have recently been linked to aggressive behavior as well. While high levels of estrogen in females and high levels of testosterone in males have been linked to aggressive behavior, normal levels of these hormones have been known to cause aggression as well. Although these hormones have been related to human behavior, scientists have concluded that these hormones alone do not dictate behavior (Morris & Maisto, 2005).

Many people often associate testosterone with males, but both genders produce the hormone. Ladies produce it in their adrenal glands and ovaries, while male produce it in their testicles. Apparently, the body of men convert some amount of testosterone to estradiol, which is a female hormone, and the body of women have receptors for the hormone, which reacts the same way as the one in the males’ body. That is the reason why those ladies who want to change their sex inject themselves with testosterone, which makes them develop male characteristics, such as facial hair, baldness, and deeper voices. According to Sullivan, the primary biological difference between the two sex is not that men have the testosterone hormone while ladies don’t have, but the fact that males produce more amount than females, and both experience similar or different effects from hormone.