Biological Influence on Gender Essay

Assignment:

Summarize the classifications and the main biological, social, and cognitive influences on gender. In each case, provide an example that demonstrates your understanding.

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Summarize the theory and research on the four domains of moral development (thought, behavior, feeling, and personality). In each case, provide an example that demonstrates your understanding.Biological Influence on Gender Essay

The developmental behavior of children can affect them and the people around them. Describe the development of prosocial and antisocial behavior in children and include a discussion about how parenting and schools influence moral development.

Gender
Classifications
Gender refers to the set of characteristics which differentiate masculinity from femininity. The two main classifications of gender are the male gender, the female gender. However, there are those who fall in the middle of the male-female spectrum, while others move throughout the system. The term gender refers to individuals who identify with the gender that they are assigned at birth for the rest of their lives. Transgender refers to individuals who identify with a gender other than what was assigned to them at birth. The last gender category is transsexual, which refers to individuals who have undergone gender reassignment surgery and have had their sexual organs changed from the ones they were born with (Berk, 2017).Biological Influence on Gender Essay
Biological Influence on Gender
The biological determinant of gender is genetic variations. Males have XY chromosomes while females have XX chromosome setup. Children inherit one chromosome a piece from their parents. Females inherit the X chromosome from their fathers while males inherit the Y chromosome from their fathers. These chromosomes determine the hormonal development in males and females during their growth (Dovidio, Piliavin, Schroeder, & Penner, 2017). Other than the genetic setups, there have been numerous attempts to correlate brain functionality to gender. For example, in males, the left hemisphere of the brain is found to be more active than the right when they undertake linguistic tasks. Further studies have focused on the nucleus, noting that among male, there was a larger sexual-dimorphic nucleus as compared to females. Biological Influence on Gender Essay
Social Influence on Gender
The social environment plays a significant role in defining gender. Parents are the first influence on one’s gender. Parents refer to and treat boys different from girls. Boys are, for instance, regarded as being strong and active whereas girls are considered to be beautiful, and delicate (Dovidio, Piliavin, Schroeder, & Penner, 2017). The stereotyping that begins with the kind of parenting that is given to a child shapes how they identify with a particular gender. The choice of toys is also different. Parents accept cross-gender roles for girls, while boys are restricted to activities that are believed to define their gender. There is also stereotyping which prevents girls from taking certain courses which are identified with the male gender.Biological Influence on Gender Essay
Outside the home environment, peers and the school shape the gender of an individual. Within the school setting, children are required to conform to certain traits which are associated with their gender. It is likely that by the time the child enters their sixth birthday, they have been conditioned to identify with particular groups. Girls’ groups are more centered on personal interaction whereas less physical closeness is promoted among boys. Adolescence is marked by less parental influence and more peer influence (Berk, 2017). These groups are less strong for girls than they are for boys. Besides parents and peers, the media also plays a key role in influencing how girls and boys think about their gender. Children books present their characters differently for boys as they do for girls (Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 2017). Magazines are designed to target specific genders and this includes their content. Similar strategies are used in televisions which have an equally huge influence on the child’s identity.
Cognitive Influences on Gender
Gender cognitive theory holds that the gender typing of children occurs at the point where they think of themselves as girls or boys. The first step to achieving gender, therefore, is to establish gender constancy (Berk, 2017). Once the child is aware of what to identify with, their choice of toys, activities, and friends becomes refined in a certain manner. Biological Influence on Gender Essay
Moral Development
Theory of Moral Development
The theory of moral development is a brainchild of Lawrence Kohlberg. According to the theory, morality can be developed either positively or negatively depending on an individual’s accomplishment of tasks at each of the key stages of their moral development throughout their lives. The theory was established out of Kohlberg’s study of the behavior of children (Turiel, 2018). There are three levels of moral development. The first level is conventional morality. This involves two stages. Stage one is the punishment-obedience orientation, where children are restrained from engaging in certain behaviors due to the punishment associated with it (Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 2017). The second stage is instrumental-relativist orientation. Here, the individual considers how much satisfying an action is to its doer and uses this to determine its morality.
The second level of moral development is conventional morality. Stage one of this level is referred to as the good-boy-nice-girl orientation. Individuals evaluate actions based on societal stereotypes and whether they identify with the traits associated with the action. The second stage is the law and order orientation (Eisenberg, Reykowski, & Staub, 2016). Here, morality is measured against compliance with the rule of law. The final level of moral development is post-conventional morality. The social contract orientation involves an individual considering opinions from various individuals before engaging in an action which is judged according to universally acceptable beliefs and principles.Biological Influence on Gender Essay
Domains of Moral Development
Thought
Moral development is shaped by intentionality. An individual’s intention depends on a number of factors. First, the individual’s desired outcome. Secondly, the belief that a particular action leads to desired outcomes. Third, the individual is considering the intention to perform the action, their, and awareness while performing the action (Eisenberg, Reykowski, & Staub, 2016). As one grows, their experience shapes their thoughts and beliefs. While a child may be less cautious about their actions, adults are more cautious and are concerned about the outcome. Also, one’s moral concept expands with their experience in the world.
Behavior
The social system and conscience stage of moral development involve law and order. Actions in this stage of moral development are influenced by its conformity with the constraints of law and order. The laws and order requirements form the backdrop for the choice of actions and where such action lies within the moral-immoral spectrum (Turiel, 2018). Of importance is that, unlike other preceding moral development stages, in this case, the social group or the family counts less in terms of what actions they would recommend for the individual. Individuals may portray behavior that undermines their moral development at times (Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 2017). When such incidences present themselves, then the individuals begin to show signs of poor development in themselves thus leading to an interrupted moral development process.Biological Influence on Gender Essay
Feeling
The choice of action varies with the individual and with the setting. Achieving a balance between empathy and social rules develops over time. Feelings such as shame, guilt, and sympathy also influence the actions that an individual performs (Turiel, 2018). This means that moral development will depend on the nature of feeling that an individual poses at any given time. In the event that an individual shows a negative feeling, then the moral development will be adversely affected. However, a positive feeling will enhance positive moral development in an individual.
Personality
According to Sigmund Freud, there is a constant struggle between societal needs the individual. Moral development, therefore, is said to occur when the individual’s selfish desires are substituted by the more important socializing agents such as parents. As such, moral development takes the rout of less focus on the self and more on inclusiveness where actions are performed with the concern of others as well (Al-Yaaribi, Kavussanu, & Ring, 2016). As individuals grow, society expects their actions to be in accordance with certain overarching beliefs. For people with multiple personalities, the moral development will keep on shifting and changing depending on the kind of person portrayed. However, the people with a defined personality will always experience steady and positive moral development throughout their lives.
Prosocial and Antisocial Behavior
Prosocial Behavior
Prosocial behavior is the inclination towards societal responsibility in which the individual feels a sense of belonging with society and is motivated to engage in activities that promote the common good of everyone. The characteristics of prosocial behavior include trust, sympathy, charity, friendship, cooperation and sacrificing (Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 2017). Prosocial behavior can also be manifested in altruistic endeavors. Prosocial behavior can be automatic or deliberate but is acquired over time. They are patterns of behaviors and not motivations. The family pays a key role in passing on prosocial behavior to the child. One way is for the parents to offer rewards for prosocial behavior which conditions the child to develop a consistency in such behavior patterns. Biological Influence on Gender Essay
At adolescence, an individual becomes more sensitive to the influence of their peers (Al-Yaaribi, Kavussanu,& Ring, 2016). Whereas focus is given to the vulnerabilities that adolescents experience, it is noteworthy that the development stage also offers them opportunities. Peers influence an individual in their choice to engage in prosocial activities (Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 2017). There is a direct correlation between the feedback conditions an allocation choice among adolescents. It has been determined that adolescents increase their prosocial behavior based on the feedback. More cohesive families that solve their problems through counseling and consultation encourage prosocial behavior.
Antisocial Behavior
Antisocial behavior entails engaging in actions that harm other individuals or society in general. It is exhibited through hostility or through instrumental in which case it is planned. The two pronounced antisocial behavior types are prejudice and aggression. There are three possible factors that influence antisocial behavior. Biological factors link genetic inheritance to antisocial behavior such as aggression. Instinctively, children are born with the tendency to want to protect themselves and their own (Patterson, DeBaryshe, & Ramsey, 2017). This is strengthened with the identity they acquire at birth, which assigns them family and levels of friendships and relationship. Antisocial behavior is also acquired in the process of growth. The environment plays the second role in determining the antisocial behavior of an individual. Finally, the interaction between nurture and nature also determines antisocial behavior. Whereas there is an innate antisocial trait, society determines whether the trait is fanned or done away with.Biological Influence on Gender Essay

References
Berk, L. (2017). Development through the lifespan. Pearson Education India.
Brannon, L. (2016). Gender: psychological perspectives. Routledge.
Dovidio, J. F., Piliavin, J. A., Schroeder, D. A., & Penner, L. A. (2017). The social psychology of
prosocial behavior. Psychology Press.
Patterson, G. R., DeBaryshe, B. D., & Ramsey, E. (2017). A developmental perspective on
antisocial behavior. In Developmental and Life-course Criminological Theories (pp. 29-35). Routledge.
Al-Yaaribi, A., Kavussanu, M., & Ring, C. (2016). Consequences of prosocial and antisocial
behavior for the recipient. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 26, 102-112.
Turiel, E. (2018). Moral Development in the Early Years: When and How. Human Development,
1-12.
Eisenberg, N., Reykowski, J., & Staub, E. (Eds.). (2016). Social and moral values: Individual
and societal perspectives. Routledge. Biological Influence on Gender Essay