Oh, Freud. I had forgotten how incredibly sexist his Oedipal Complex theory was...to think that he really believed that women were less psychologically developed than men literally because we lack certain genitalia! I think it's important to not completely dismiss all of his work, because he did have some interesting and useful ideas. The most extreme sexist theories definitely get the most attention and are the most mind blowing. I also had forgotten how other psychological theories, built off of some of Freud's ideas, were also based around very sexist views. The sexism in Freud's views are more obvious, while the sexism in Erickson and Kohlberg seem more subtle. I think sexism (and the other -isms) are most often subtle, and that's when they are the most harmful.
I definitely agree with Carol Gilligan's ideas in "In a Different Voice" that women base most of their decisions with their relationships in mind. I run a Women's Group weekly at the program where I work. Often, we have open discussion groups, where the women can discuss any issues with which they are currently struggling. Invariably, the conversation always centers around relationships - with significant others, friends, parents, siblings, or their children. You could predict it like clockwork. However, I can not tell you what the Men's Group talks about. Who's to say that it's not very similar? I agree without a doubt that overall men and women are very different in how they perceive life, how they approach problems and conflict, and what their priorities are. I become hesitant to generalize to all women or all men. It seems that a viewpoint that explicitly states "women do this and men do that" can still marginalize the men and women who do not fit either description.
As a woman, I found the article "Masculinity as Homophobia" by Michael Kimmel as quite interesting. He states, "I have argued that homophobia, men's fear of other men, is the animating condition of the dominant definition of masculinity in America, that the reigning definition of masculinity is a defensive effort to prevent being emasculated." Defining homophobia as "men's fear of other men" is interesting, and I see his point, however it seems limited in describing the full impact of homophobia. Furthermore, I found it fascinating when he discusses the "paradox" in men's lives...how they "virtually have all the power, and yet do not feel powerful." I think he means that because of the pressure to fit a certain "masculine" stereotype, men may feel trapped into fitting a mold versus having the freedom to just be who they want. Throughout this article, I couldn't help wondering what men reading this might think - what they agreed with, and what they found extreme.
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I thought this was a great blog post. I also agreed with Gilligan on how she said women base their decisions on relationships. I have seen this in a lot of my female relatives and friends. Family definitely comes first for them. Although for the most part, family comes first for the males in my life, from what I personally can see, they do have more of a sense of individuality (for lack of a better word). For example, my mother absolutely bases a lot of her decisions on how it will help her children and my father. My father does this also, but he also considers work and personal time into his decisions as well.
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure if I have ever really read any of Freud’s philosophies before. If I did, it was information that had long been lost. I’m glad I interpreted his lack of respect for woman appropriately. Reading something like this, I find is kind of empowering. I found the stereotypes in this book to also be a little much to handle. Maybe because the works it cited were dated and things have so clearly changed. I love the fact that men and women are so different, I am constantly trying to figure out why my husband does the things he does and have read a lot of books on the difference of how our brains work. I haven’t really come across something that definitively says… “This is it!” I would like to think that it is the same reasons that anyone is different. It has more to do with their life experiences and part to do with how a person’s brain functions.
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