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GENDER AND EMOTION:The components of Emotions

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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)
VU
Lesson 23
GENDER AND EMOTION
Emotions are one of the basic ingredients of human existence, and the spice of life. Emotions are an integral
component of a persons' personality man or woman. It is a common observation that men and women show
different emotional response patterns; the way they express emotion is also different. Stereotypically it is
thought that women are more emotional than men. Also their behaviors are guided by their emotions; they are
led by their heart not head. Men, on the other hand, are thought to have control over their emotions; they can
postpone their emotional reaction, and thus act rationally. But how much of these commonly held beliefs are
true? Few questions need to be explored in this regard.
Do men and women have different types of emotions?
Are they born with different emotional packages?
Does the different genetic make up have ay thing to do with it?
Do different proportions of hormones play a part in gender differences in emotions?
BUT the most important questions still need to be posed i.e.:
Are there any real gender differences in emotion???
Do males and females have a different emotional make up, inherently, or is it only the expression of emotions
in which they vary?
Research has shown that males and females both possess the same repertoire of emotions; it is their
upbringing, societal attitudes towards gender roles, gender stereotypically, and observational learning that leads
to different expressions of emotion. Off course biological variables do have a role to play; there is no denying
the fact that hormonal imbalances, physiological conditions trigger different emotional experiences. Hence
women experiencing certain emotions more than men do, and vice versa. But talking of average, normal,
emotional experience, other variables being constant, the gender differences in emotions may be attributable
more too psycho-social cultural factors, rather than biological influences.
The components of Emotions
Psychologists have posed a number of theories proposing various components of emotion. In the earliest of
modern day explanations of emotion, their instinctual nature thus the physiological component, ea emphasized
(Mc Dougall, 1923). Although psychologists agreed upon the physiological aspect of emotions, the later
theories proposed the significance of the cognitive aspect of the emotional experience. Most theorists agreed
upon the combined action of physiological/ physical arousal and cognitive experience in an emotional
response. The issue for debate was thus the question as to whether the physical arousal was of prime
importance or the cognitive labeling of experience. Today, most psychologists believe in the significance of the
cognitive element, without denying the importance of the physiological accompaniments; off course many
other psychologists do propose the edge of biological experience over the cognitive experience (Zajonc, 1984).
Psychologists like Lazarus believe in the primacy of cognitions.
Schachter and Singer (1962) in their investigation had shown that both physiological arousal and cognitive
labeling were significant components of emotional experience. Their experiment yielded that subjects could
experience different emotions, even when similar levels of physical arousal were present; the experienced
emotion depended upon the setting in which the emotion was experienced as well as the expectations of the
participants.
Before moving forward to investigate and understand gender differences in emotion, one needs to comprehend
the essence of the physiology cognition debate. If you were of a physiological opinion, then you will believe in
the physiological changes in emotion that are the same no matter what the nature of emotion is. If someone
sticks to the significance of cognition alone then the belief will be that emotional experience is caused by the
cognitive experience alone, the physiological element being constant.
In order to identify their emotional experiences, men tend to use physical curs; women depend more on
cognitive information (Pennebaker, & Roberts, 1992). Men's sensitivity to physical cues is supported by the fact
that men notice and assess their internal physical states better than women; these states include blood pressure,
heart rate, and blood glucose. But one must not take this to be the decisive evidence supporting men's edge
over women in terms of the ability to gauge alterations in physiological states. Research has shown that in
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Gender Issues In Psychology (PSY - 512)
VU
naturalistic settings, men and women are equally good at identifying changes in their own bodily states.
Whereas women have in edge over men, in naturalistic settings, in terms of gauging the emotional responses of
others. Women are capable, better than men, in identifying others' emotional experiences on the basis of using
situational and contextual cues. Thus women have the ability, or sensitivity, to sense their own physical states,
as well as others emotions.
As said earlier, men and women are endowed with similar emotions, but their expression, and the interpretation
of the situation may be different. The socialization process has an important role to play in this regard. From
very early childhood, boys are taught to control or restrain expression of certain emotions (e.g., grief), and
allowed to express certain others (e.g., aggression). Same is the case with girls, but the emotions that they are
taught to control, and allowed to express are different; they are discouraged form indulging into aggression,
especially physical, and usually not discouraged from expressing grief or sadness; hence we see many women
crying but hardly any man.
Many researchers have tried to identify similarities in emotional experiences of men and women, rather than
differences. Universal features of emotions have been explored in such studies. Facial expression, or facial
movements, accompanying emotional experience have been studied in different cultures. Research shows that
some such movements are universal and are characteristic of emotions across cultures (Ekman, 1984; Ekman,
Levenson, and Friesen, 1983).
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION:Common misconception, Some questions to ponder
  2. FEMINIST MOVEMENT:Forms or Varieties of Feminism, First wave feminists
  3. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:Functionalism, Psychoanalytic Psychology:
  4. Gender- related Research:Andocentricity, Overgeneralizing, Gender Blindness
  5. RESEARCH METHODS FOR GENDER ISSUES:The Procedure of Content Analysis
  6. QUALITATIVE RESEARCH:Limitations Of Quantitative Research
  7. BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENDERSHormones and Chromosomes
  8. BIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GENDERS: HORMONES AND NERVOUS SYSTEM
  9. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT:The Biological Approach,
  10. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (2):The Behavioral Approach
  11. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (3):The Cognitive Approach
  12. THEORIES OF GENDER DEVELOPMENT (3):Psychoanalytic Feminism
  13. OTHER APPROACHES:The Humanistic Approach, Cultural Influences
  14. GENDER TYPING AND STEREOTYPING:Development of sex-typing
  15. GENDER STEREOTYPES:Some commonly held Gender Stereotypes
  16. Developmental Stages of Gender Stereotypes:Psychoanalytic Approach, Hostile sexism
  17. CULTURAL INFLUENCE & GENDER ROLES:Arapesh, Mundugumor
  18. DEVELOPMENT OF GENDER ROLE IDENTIFICATION:Gender Role Preference
  19. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY:GENDER DIFFERENCES IN BULLYING
  20. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN PERSONALITY:GENDER, AFFILIATION AND FRIENDSHIP
  21. COGNITIVE DIFFERENCES:Gender Differences in I.Q, Gender and Verbal Ability
  22. GENDER AND MEDIA:Print Media and Portrayal of Genders
  23. GENDER AND EMOTION:The components of Emotions
  24. GENDER, EMOTION, & MOTIVATION:Affiliation, Love, Jealousy
  25. GENDER AND EDUCATION:Impact of Educational Deprivation
  26. GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT:Informal Work
  27. GENDER, WORK AND WOMEN'S EMPOWERMENT (2):Glass-Ceiling Effect
  28. GENDER, WORK & RELATED ISSUES:Sexual Harassment at Workplace
  29. GENDER AND VIOLENCE:Domestic Violence, Patriarchal terrorism
  30. GENDER AND HEALTH:The Significance of Women’s Health
  31. GENDER, HEALTH, AND AGING:Genetic Protection, Behavioral Factors
  32. GENDER, HEALTH, AND AGING:Physiological /Biological Effects, Changes in Appearance
  33. GENDER DIFFERENCES IN AGING:Marriage and Loneliness, Empty Nest Syndrome
  34. GENDER AND HEALTH PROMOTING BEHAVIORS:Fitness and Exercise
  35. GENDER AND HEALTH PROMOTING BEHAVIOR:The Classic Alameda County Study
  36. GENDER AND HEART DISEASE:Angina Pectoris, The Risk factors in CHD
  37. GENDER AND CANCER:The Trend of Mortality Rates from Cancer
  38. GENDER AND HIV/AIDS:Symptoms of AIDS, Mode of Transmission
  39. PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH FEMALES’ REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
  40. OBESITY AND WEIGHT CONTROL:Consequences of Obesity, Eating Disorders
  41. GENDER AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:Gender, Stress and Coping
  42. GENDER AND PSYCHOPATHOLOGY:The Diagnostic Criteria
  43. GENDER AND PSYCHOTHERAPY:Traditional Versus Feminist Theory
  44. FEMINIST THERAPY:Changes targeted at societal level
  45. COURSE REVIEW AND DISCUSSION OF NEW AVENUES FOR RESEARCH IN GENDER ISSUES