Preview

Psychology of Gender Final Exam Study Guide

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
4199 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Psychology of Gender Final Exam Study Guide
Chapter 9:Romantic Relationships (research on homosexual relationships can help distinguish between sex and status)

I. RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT a. Characteristics Desired in a Mate * Women seek men that are attractive, educated, good financial status and good work ethic * Both men and women look for physical attractiveness and healthy as moist important for a sexual partner b. Evidence * Men desire physical attractiveness in a partner * Women desire intelligence or occupational status * Gay men and lesbians look for same qualities in a mate as heterosexuals * Affection, shared interests, similarity and dependability * No evidence that lesbians value a mate’s resources * Status is less important in relationships among minorities (gays, lesbians, bisexuals) * Homosexual men value mate’s physical attractiveness * Lesbians do not * Lesbians more likely than gay men to have similar personalities * Men and women agree on the most important characteristics a partner should possess * Especially for long-term relationships c. Explanations * Evolutionary theory: women and men behave in ways that will maximize survival of their genes * David Buss * Adaptive for our ancestors * We inherited their genes and behaviors * Behavior driven by desire to reproduce * Men fertility * Women high occupational status * Young beautiful women coupled with older wealthy men is the exception (Anna Nicole Smith, Hugh Heffner, Donald Trump) * Men are predicted to be more promiscuous (may be minimized when women are ovulating) * Social role theory: division of labor between sexes is directly linked to the sex differences in mate selection * Females look for males with high earning capacity

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    There are many factors that can determine gender identity. There is continuous research comparing the affect of both biology and environment on gender identity. Gender identity is almost always chromosomal sex although that isn't enough to rule out the affect of environment. Intersexuals are rare individuals who posses the typical external genitalia while possessing ambiguous sexual organs of the other sex. There are also hermaphrodites who possess both testicular and ovarian tissue. These two factors that determine gender identity are caused by hormonal factors in prenatal development. Hermaphrodites usually assume the gender identity of the sex assignment at birth. A sex assignment is the process of determining the sex of a child at birth. Intersexualism has given scientists a chance to compare environment and biology. Intersexualism means a person possesses a whole, either male or female reproductive organs. They also possess internal or external tissue of the other sex.…

    • 641 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gender refers to culturally constructed distinctions between femininity and masculinity. Individuals are born female or male but they become feminine or masculine through complex developmental processes that take many years to unfold. For example, women usually look after babies while men are the providers. The evolutionary approach argues that gender role division appears as an adaptation to the challenges faced by the ancestral humans in the EEA. Therefore, the role differences we observe are more a product of our biological inheritance than acquired through socialisation…

    • 973 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sexual selection can be used to explain certain characteristics or behaviours which increase an individual’s reproductive success. These characteristics may get exaggerated over evolutionary time. In humans, these characteristics may include good physical and mental health, as well as physical features such as good looks etc. these characteristics are attractive because they show an ability to reproduce and pass on these genes to offspring. There are two types of sexual selection, intrasexual and intersexual. Intrasexual selection is the evolution of characteristics that enable an individual to compete with their rivals whereas intersexual selection is the evolution of characteristics that are attractive to a mate. An example of this would be a peacock’s tail. The peacock with the ‘best’ tail (longest and brightest etc.) is considered to be more attractive to the peahen and therefore he is more likely to reproduce and pass on his genes to the next generation. Buss, 1989, found evidence to support this. Over 10000 participants across 37 different cultures took part in his study on differences in intersexual selection. Questionnaires were given to the participants, asking about preferences for variables such as marriage, age differences, characteristics etc. He found that women valued qualities such as ambition and industriousness in men – qualities showing their financial potential. He also found that men valued youth and physical attractiveness more highly than women. This suggests that males look for qualities associated with fertility in line with evolutionary predictions. He concluded that women have evolved to select mates who can provide resources for themselves and their offspring. Buss’ study had over 10000 participants and therefore has credibility, however the participants may have not given a truthful answer and instead given one they thought would appear more…

    • 825 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    There are many theories that try to explain relationships between sexual selection and human reproductive behaviour. Evolutionary theory is one such theory.…

    • 2152 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    ii. Drive – An Internal State of Tension that Motivates an Organism to Engage in Activities that should Reduce this Tension.…

    • 1166 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The biological approach states that human beings have evolved so that males and females possess different chromosomes that trigger the production of different levels of certain hormones. It is these hormonal differences between the sexes that lead to differences in behaviour. This allows for males and females to perform different roles in reproduction thus ensuring the survival of their genes and, in turn the human species. Women have evolved psychologically, anatomically and physiologically to be the carers of their young, whereas men have evolved in a similar way, but to be the main providers for the mother and her young.…

    • 820 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Gender Unit Paper

    • 981 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The common theme in the short stories "A Pair of Tickets", "A Rose For Emily", and "Girl" is expectation. Each main character experiences a feeling of expectation from either within themselves, from others, or a cultural norm. Each character feels burdened by these expectations and that can be sensed in the tone of these short stories. These expectations have evident effects on the female characters as it effects their thoughts, actions, and self-realizations. Although each story is significantly different, they all share the same theme.…

    • 981 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Usually when a person is said to be male or female, it is based on their sex assigned to them at birth, specific natal characteristics are used to define a person a boy or a girl. These biological features are not the only determining factor regarding gender identity. An individual’s psyche also has a significant role.…

    • 721 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gender and Flag Question

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Your introductory sociology professor believes that gender roles serve a purpose in society to fulfill certain functions. What type of theoretical background is your professor espousing?…

    • 684 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Gettysburg Address Thesis

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Angier explores the cardinal premises of evolutionary psychology. Examples of these cardinal premises are 1. Men are more promiscuous and less sexually reserved than women are. 2. Women are inherently more interested in a stable relationship than men are. 3. Women are naturally attracted to high-status men with resources. 4. Men are naturally attracted to youth and beauty. 5. Humankind's core preferences and desires were hammered out. She goes into great depth in exploring these principles and tells us that a lot of these socially constructed values don't go away…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Psychological androgyny is when one’s personality traits are capable of being two different things at once. For example, one who is aggressive is also nurturant at the same time no matter the gender. Advantages of this area is that one can use many traits to achieve a desire or talent. They can pool in more traits than one who is not androgyny. They may have higher self esteem and more stable. They may also have more confidence about stressful areas and…

    • 808 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Rene Descartes, Sigmund Freud, William James, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, what do these names have in common? They are all pioneers who furthered psychology, and they are all names of men. So, were there any women who contributed to psychology? Of course, there were. Mary Whiton Calkins (the American Psychological Association’s first woman president), Mary Ainsworth (known for her research in relationships between mothers and infants), and Leta Hollingsworth (known for her study on gifted children) were all great women who contributed much to psychology. Among these female greats, one woman stands out – Karen Horney.…

    • 1442 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Women in Psychology Paper

    • 1521 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Anna Freud was born on December 3, 1985 to Sigmund and Martha Freud. She was said to have been very close to her father but did not have a great relationship with her mother or her siblings. Anna appeared to have an unhappy childhood, and was nurtured by the family’s nurse Josephine. At a young age Anna developed a rivalry with her sister Sophie and began competing for their father’s attention. Sophie was the more attractive child and Anna was the smart one. Sophie was said to be the “beauty” and Anna was the “brains”. Anna was known to be a troubled child. Her father often wrote about her, referring to her as being naughty. Anna wrote letters to her father as a child. She would let him know how bad thoughts had been going through her head. She was a bit overweight and may have suffered from depression at an early age.…

    • 1521 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Sexual selection is defined as the theoretical mechanism for the evolution of anatomical and behavioral differences between males and females based on the selection of mates…

    • 598 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Best Essays

    ——. Introduction. Psychological Perspectives on Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Experiences. 3rd ed. Ed. Linda D. Garnets and Douglas C. Kimmel. New York: Columbia UP, 2003. 1-21. Print.…

    • 3097 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays