PSYCH IB Developmental Essay

Developmental psychology deals with the lifelong process of change and it is the study of how and why people change over time in the way they behave, think and relate to others. More specifically, identity development, such as the formation of gender roles, is influenced by biological, cognitive, and social factors to a great extent, since it is impossible and unfitting to attribute one such factor to the development these roles society has deemed. There has long been controversy about the relative importance of either nature or nurture in the development of gender roles. It has been argued that the basic biological and hormonal factors are important in the development of gender identity, which is the psychological feeling of being either a male or females. The nature view holds that a child’s gender identity is programmed before birth by genes and physiological processes that are irreversible. However, the nurture view argues that the manner a child is dressed and treated is the most important factor in the development of gender identity. The child may have an inherent sense of gender, but will learn to think and behave like either a boy or girl. If this assumption were true, hypothetically, it would be possible to disregard genetic sex and turn a boy into a girl, and make him believe he is a girl.
Evolutionary psychologists claim that men and women have faced different evolutionary challenges, which have consequenced in gender differences. This biological approach to explaining the development of gender roles addresses the fact the natural selection is a process that has created fundamental biological, as well as psychological differences that determine the gender division of labor. To illustrate, men are competitive and aggressive because the exhibition of these characteristics increases their chances of attracting a partner and providing resources for their children. Women are typically of a nurturing representation because they need to raise