Gender Roles

Gender Roles and Social Influence

James Taylor

Ottawa University

June 9, 2016

Gender Roles and Social Influence

In our society there are men and women, and it would seem that the gender roles are very clear. "Gender is our legal status as girls and boys, women and men. Gender identity is how you feel about and express your gender. Culture determines gender roles and what is masculine and femenine" (Gender and Gender Identity, n.d. para 1). 

Gender Expectations

From an early age, it is clear that boys and girls are socialized differently. Even the colors we pick for our babies send a clear message, pink is for girls, blue is for boys. This is a cultural norm at least in the West, and it is rare to see any deviation. Our gender roles (mostly) determine the way we behave, and are very different between cultures. As children, we learn our gender expectations from our parents, or primary caregivers, as well as media that we may be exposed to. As we mature, we tend to copy behaviors that garn positive attention.” By age three, children have usually learned to prefer toys and clothes that are ‘appropriate’ to their gender” (Gender and Gender Identity, n.d. para 2).  The expectation is that girls will behave in a generally submissive way, and boys are generally having a more take charge attitude and usually have more personal autonomy. These examples, of course, are stereotypes.

Stereotypes

In American society, gender roles are notoriously stereotypical, yet the myths persist that men do all the heavy work, make the money (and decisions) and are often considered to be emotionally unavailable. They usually have little to do with direct care of their children, focusing on work, in order to pay for the expenses of running the home (Gender and Gender Roles, n.d. para 1).  Women are often expected to be demure, quiet, submissive, and to follow the lead of their husbands. They are not necessarily expected to work, and the primary position for many women is to not only give birth to, but stay home and raise their offspring. This kind of thinking make one wonder why more people do not eat their young. The stereotypes are often reinforced by popular media, yet they cannot be further from the truth.

Challenging Stereotypes

Each day we all are exposed to gender stereotypes as well as sexism. Since equality is the goal, we can be proactive in challenging stereotypes that are good for everyone. When we encounter these stereotypes in the media or television the things we see are often negative. If you recognize negative gender stereotypes being portrayed, say something to your friends or family (Gender and Gender Identity, n.d. para 3). You can also be a role model for others. Do not buy into the gender stereotypes that you see, they are not real. They are generalized expectations. Say something if you hear or see someone treating someone with anything less than dignity. Step outside of your own gender comfort zone. If you normally build houses, try baking a cake. If you normally are making the meals, build a fence. As a species, we have very few limits, other than the ones we set for ourselves. These limits should be challenged and when possible, eradicated altogether.

References

www.plannedparenthood.org (n.d.) Gender and Gender Identity.  Retrieved from

        https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/sexual-orientation-gender/gender-gender-identity

Altruism.

Altruism

James Taylor

Ottawa University

June 9, 2016

Altruism

What is it about humans that causes to help others, sometimes even when risking harm to ourselves? We all engage in altruistic behaviors, such things as opening doors for others, or mowing an elderly neighbor’s yard, or shoveling their walk, we do these things because we want to, and do not expect anything in return. Altruism is about the unselfish concern for other people (Cherry, 2016).

Helping

We are all familiar with news stories of people that dive into freezing rivers to save a drowning

 person, or someone that leaves a ten-thousand-dollar tip for a server, these kinds of stories dominate

 the news. Social psychology is concerned with the question of why we act this way. Altruism is one aspect of prosocial behaviors, which is any action or behavior that helps another person. True altruism involves being completely selfless, which this writer finds to be a great concept. The world we all live in would be a better place if we could all give just a little more, expecting nothing in return.

Pro-social Behaviors.

Pro-social behaviors are done with the intention of helping another. “Pro-social behavior is characterized by a concern about the rights, feelings and welfare of other people. Behaviors that can be described as pro-social include feeling empathy and concern for others and behaving in ways to help or benefit other people” (Cherry, 2016). This sounds really nice, but what is it that actually makes us do nice things for others? When we think of behaviors, the question often asked is what is the payoff for the person? In the case of altruism, it is the joy of just doing the right thing, or a nice thing, just for the sake of doing it.

Here in Phoenix, one of the local news channels has a weekly segment called “Pay it Forward” where someone is nominated to receive $500 for their selfless acts for others. Just watching this particular segment makes me happy. People deserve recognition for kindness, especially in a world where the headlines are often anything but kind. What seems to happen is that when we help others, those people go onto help others as well, again not expecting anything in return. This phenomenon is called the Norm of Reciprocity (Cherry, 2016).

This sounds like a very good way to start a wave of good things happening. If you are reading this, I challenge you to do one act of kindness and expect nothing, let’s pay kindness forward and see of together, was can all make this world we share a better place.

References

Cherry, K., (2016). What is Prosocial Behavior? Retrieved from https://www.verywell.com/what-is-           prosocial-behavior-2795479

Cherry, K., (2016). What is Altruism? Retrieved from https://www.verywell.com/what-is-altruism-  

Cognitive Dissonance, why America is Not Great Anymore.

America is not Number One

James Taylor

Ottawa University

America is Not Number One

It is a very common sentiment for people to say that the United States is number one. While this sounds great, what are we number one at? The manufacturing jobs that built this country have been moved to other countries so the manufacturers can make a bigger profit, and the quality of life in the United States has not risen in decades. Yet, people still insist that we are number one. In this paper this writer shall examine this statement, and examine exactly where the United States stands in relation to other industrialized nations.

Cognitive Dissonance

The theory of cognitive dissonance was developed in the 1950’s by Leon Festinger. His theory was first developed to explain how members of a cult were convinced that the earth was going to end on a certain day, but they alone were to be rescued by space aliens. When this event did not happen, the member’s commitment to the group actually increased. The group members actually thought that the aliens cared so much for them that they chose to save the entire earth, and not just them, thus creating a dissonance. (www.changingminmds.org).

The definition of cognitive dissonance is to hold two conflicting thoughts in one’s mind at the same time.  Believing that the United States is ‘’number one” is erroneous. This is a mantra that is often spoken and clearly many believe, but as evidenced by what? An educational study of fifty-seven industrialized countries revealed that the United States ranked “16^th in science and 23^rd in math scores” (www.greatschools.org).

Not surprising, the one thing the United States is truly number one with is the number of people that are in prison. According to the Institute for Criminal Policy Research, the United States currently has 2, 217,947 individuals’ in prisons. By comparison, Denmark (Greenland) has 116 people (www.prisonstudies.org). This is quite an amazing difference, and it is the opinion of this writer that this difference in numbers may be in part due to the different laws concerning recreational drugs, as well as the number of prisons that are now ran by private corporations.  It stands to reason that if there is money to be made from prisons, there are going to be more prisoners.

This video explains things much better than this writer can, perhaps it will help explain what I have not been able to.

https://youtu.be/ZPHSXUS0_1c This video contains adult language.

References

Wilde, M., (2015). Global Grade: How do U.S. Students Compare? Retrieved from       http://www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/u-s-students-compare/

www.changingminds.org (n.d.) Cognitive Dissonance. Retrieved    fromhttp://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/cognitive_dissonance.html

www.prisonstudies.org (n.d.). Highest to Lowest-Prison Population Total. Retrieved from  http://www.prisonstudies.org/highest-to-lowest/prison-population-total? field_region_taxonomy_tid=22

www.youtube.com (2012). Why America Isn’t the Greatest Country on Earth Anymore. Retrieved    from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPHSXUS0_1c

James Taylor
Ottawa University
Social Psychology
June 7, 2016


Attitudes About Same Sex Marriage

On June 26, 2015 same sex marriage was declared the law of the land in the United States. In fact, the Census bureau reported that as of 2013 there were as many as 170,000 same sex marriages reported in the national census (Cohn, 2015). For some, marriage equality  was an amazing victory, for others it signaled the end of days. I myself have been legally married since August 12, 2013, my husband and I got married in San Diego, and it was truly an amazing day. I never thought that I would live to see the day when I could marry the man who is truly my best friend. Our families are from the Midwest (his) and the very Deep South (mine) but the news was really well received. We are lucky to have the support that we do, and are aware that many people are not so lucky. The point of all of this is that I wonder what Joe Public really thinks about same sex marriage, or as I call it, marriage. 

One of the arguments I used to hear is about the sanctity of marriage. Usually this is coming from someone that is on their fourth or fifth marriage, and because it is heterosexual marriage, God does not seem to mind, I guess. I have specifically asked some of my married heterosexual friends how or if my marriage has done harm to their marriage, and they look at me like I am dumb. I think this is a pretty common attitude. 

In a study published by the Public Religion Research Institute in April, 2015 notes that when Massachusets was the first state to legalize same sex marriages, nearly two thirds of those that claimed to be religiously affiliated supported same sex marriages, but no major religious denomination offered approval (Jones, 2015).  I find this interesting because who is the church, if not the people? The study sample was comprised of 40, 571 people from all sects and denominations. 

Not surprising, white evangelical Protestants were the least in favor of same sex marriages, while white mainline Protestants  and  Catholics were largely in favor of these marriages. Not surprising to this writer was the fact that Buddhists overwhelmingly support marriage, and those of the Jewish faith had one of the largest percentages of support at  47% in favor of same sex marriage  (Jones, 2015).

The people that are against these marriages, I wonder if they actually know any gay people? This day and age that seems impossible to me, but I live in a large city  and do not have to censor myself on a daily basis. What is life like for those that do? I spoke to an acquaintance of mine that lives in a rural town in Georgia. He told me it is alright to be gay there, but you have to be discreet. He also said that the Lesbian community seems to get a lot more support than the Gay (male) community (Jenkins, 2016) Homophobia is a funny thing, for straight men the idea of two women being sexually active is attractive, but the thought of two men acting the same way is definitely not attractive to them. I am  basing this on my own casual observations , but if a straight guy (or girl) is reading this, can you please enlighten me? I just don't understand the double standard. 

The social psychology theory I am using to explain all of this is the Social Cognitive Learning Theory of Homophobic Aggression. 

Source

Cohn, D., (2015). How Many Same Sex Marriages in the U.S.? Maybe 170,000. Retrieved from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/06/24/how-many-same-sex-married-couples-in-the-u-s-maybe-170000/

Jenkins, B., (2016) Telephone Interview June 2016. 

Jones, R., (2015). Attitudes on Same Sex Marriage by Religious Affiliation and Denominational Family.  American Values Atlas. Retrieved from http://publicreligion.org/2015/04/attitudes-on-same-sex-marriage-by-religious-affiliation-and-denominational-family/#.V1eIkfkrLIU

Social Media and Body Image

Social Media and Body Image

James Taylor

Ottawa University

June 1, 2016

Abstract

In this article this writer shall discuss the effect of social media and how it can affect the body images of certain demographics. The theory behind this phenomenon is the Self Discrepancy Theory in which the individual perceives themselves differently than they actually are, and this discrepancy causes emotional distress (Stevens, Bardeen, Pittman, Lovejoy, 2015).

Social Media and Body Image

It cannot be denied that the media helps shape the idea of what the perfect body is, and for some this constant exposure to unrealistic body may lead to damaging behaviors such as anorexia and bulimia.

Discrepancy Theory

“Discrepancy in self- image can occur when individual’s hold conflicting beliefs about personal characteristics and those one would ideally like to have” (www.allpsych.com, n.d). The discrepancy can be anything, but for the purposes of this paper we will limit the discussion to eating/binge disorders. People who suffer from these eating disorders often believe that they are overweight, despite being obviously under a normal body weight. Often these individuals’ will either binge on foods and then purge themselves immediately to avoid gaining weight, or they may limit the amount of calories they consume on a daily basis and exercise compulsively in order to stay thin.

It has been suggested that social media may be partially to blame for this growing problem, and there are even some websites that support people that choose to engage in these disordered behaviors. These sights refer to themselves as “pro-ana” (pro-anorexia) or “”pro-mia” (pro-bulimia) and give the users a global platform in which to show off their ‘success’ and to share tips on how to stay thin (Rojas, 2014).

It is the opinion of this writer that this behavior is certainly fueled by the Discrepancy Theory, and often an intervention resulting in hospitalization may be necessary in order to help these individuals to the road to good mental and physical health. It is important to remember that what we see in magazines and television is not real, the images have created an ideal that very few can live up to, but advertising keeps fueling this obsession that we must look a certain way in order to be worthwhile. If you are reading this, know that you are great just like you are, curves, slim, or anywhere in between. Be kind to yourself, and try not to believe the airbrushed images that are just not true.

References

Rojas, M., (2014). Social Media Helps Fuel Some Eating Disorders. The Westchester County Journal    News June 1, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/06/01/social-    media-helps-fuel-eating-disorders/9817513/

Stevens, E. N., Bardeen, J. R., Pittman, L. D., & Lovejoy, M. C. (2015). The Interactive Effect of    Individual Differences in Goal Strength and Self-Discrepancies: Examining Negative Affective  Outcomes. Journal Of Social & Clinical Psychology, 34(2), 161-180. doi:10.1521/jscp.2015.34.2.161

www.allpsych.com (n.d.). Discrepancy Theory. Retrieved fromhttp://allpsych.com/?    s=discrepancy+theory