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psychoanalytic theory
- originated by Freud
- traditional approach to psychodynamic personality theory
- relies on the concepts of unconscious forces and biologically determined instincts to explain personality development and functioning
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Freud's theory
- hypothesized a series of psychosexual stages
- oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
- to account for influence of childhood experiences on adult personality
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phallic stage
- gender differences
- Oedipus complex
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Oedipus complex
- children are attracted to their other-sex parent
- feel feer and hostility toward same sex parent
- boys experience a more traumatic and complete resolution than girls
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Horney's view
- disputed Freud's view
- agrued that social forces form basis for personality differences between sexes
- men have feelings of inferiority compared to women
- men try to feel more adequate by disparaging women
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Chodorow's theory
- emphasizes primacy of the early relationship with mothers
- boys have a more difficult time separating themselves form the feminine than do girls
- men's success in forming a masculine identity is denial of all that is feminine
- rejection of female values
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Kaschak's theory
- relies on Oedipus legend
- Oedipus personifies men's drives for power and feelings of entitlement
- patriarchal culture perpetuates these roles and makes resolving these complexes difficult for men and women
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alternatives to psychodynamic theory
- social learning theory
- cognitive theories
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social learning approach
- concepts of observational learning and modeling
- explain how children learn and perform gender-related behaviors
- family and culture provide models and reinforcements for discouraging others
- power of children's family and social surroundings
- orderly pattern of gender development not consistent with this theory
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cognitive development theory
- gender identity is a cognitive concept
- process of learning about the physical world and their own bodies
- children under age 2 have not concept of gender
- develop gender constancy - last types of gender knowledge to be acquired, problem for this theory
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gender schema theory
- explains gender identity in terms of schemata
- gender stereotyping is a natural extension of the process of developing gender schemata
- children become stereotypical in their gender behavior and judgements
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schemata
- cognitive structures that underlie complex concepts
- children change they way that they deal with information concerning gender
- children change their behavior to conform to gender roles
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psychodynamic theories and research
- little research support
- research fails to confirm any one theory to the exclusion of others
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castration complex
- Freudian theory
- the unconscious fear that the father will castrate his son as punishment for the son's sexual longings for his mother
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gender constancy
the knowledge that gender is a permanent characteristic and will not change with superficial alterations
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gender labeling
the ability to label self and others as male or female
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instincts
- Freudian theory
- the drives or impulses that underlie action, thought and other aspects of personality functioning
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masochism
feeling of pleasure as a result of painful or humiliating experiences
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operant conditioning
- type of learning based on administration of reinforcement or punishment
- receiving reinforcement links the reinforcement with the behavior that preceded it, making the behavior more likely to be repeated
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pre-Oedipal period
- time during early childhood
- before phallic stage and Oedipus complex
- important for personality development
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psychosexual stages
- Freudian theory
- series of stages ranging from birth to maturity through which individual's personality develops
- oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital
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punishment
any stimulus that decreases the probability that a behavior will be repeated
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reinforcement
any stimulus that increases the probability that a behavior will be repeated
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schema
an internal cognitive structure that organizes information and guides perception
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unconscious
- Freudian theory
- region of the mind functioning beyond a person's conscious awareness
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