ASSIGNMENT 2: REFLECTIVE JOURNAL (15%) 1

Assignment 2: Reflective Journal (15%)

Carissann Modeste ID#:311102246

University of the West Indies

Open Campus

Tobago
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During this course, it has been revolutionary to delve in greater detail into the different

aspects of gender in relation to the study of Psychology. Interestingly enough, the gender that has

had the most discrimination is in fact the one that I identify with, which is female. Peering

through the lens of a female, I was able to have a greater understanding at every Unit junction,

from Unit 1, which focused on the definitions of sex and gender to Unit 4, which touched on

gender and power as well as intelligence and cognitive abilities between males and females.

Each unit allowed an increase in knowledge and understanding of gender as a social construct

and not just a relation to the biological factors separating the sexes.

In learning the differences between gender and sex, both words that are commonly used

interchangeably, the disctinction was made clear. According to McLeod, (2014) “ A person’s sex

does not change from birth, but their gender can.” (para. 2). Sex is the biological difference

between male and female, while gender is the social and psychological characteristics attributed

to one’s sex.(UWIOC, 2020). This was the essence of Unit 1. Having done Gender in the

Caribbean Social, Political & Economic Relations last semester, the distinction between sex and

gender was introoduced to me. It was in this course however, I became privy to the complexities

surrounding hormones, genes and chromosomes in the formation of a particular sex. What was

most interesting was the fact that the sex determining region gene (SRY) which causes the sex

organs to develop testes, can sometimes go missing from the Y chromosome or does not activate,

in which case the foetus grows into a woman but the chromosomes are XY, which biologically is

the representation for males.

It was within this Unit that I was introduced to four various approaches that viewed the

conceptualization and development of sex and gender differently. The biological approach, the

evolutionary approach, the cognitive approach and the social approach. What was most eye
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opening, was the theory of neutrality which assumes that gender identity is neutral before the age

of three and can be changed. In my understanding of this I surmised that if that was the case,

then genitals would not have been developed until age three which seems preposterous to say the

least.

In Unit 2, the focus was on defining gender identity and gender stereotypes. Having

previous knowledge of gender stereotypes, I had a working definition of it basically being the

stigmas attached to what society has taught us to deem feminine and masculine traits. Gender

Identity which according to UWIOC, 2020, as cited in Di Ceglie, 2000 p.458 and Helgeson,

2012 p. 7 is “one’s perception of the self as regards to one’s sense of femininity and

masculinity.” In essence it is who an individual identifies him or her or themselves as. While

looking through this unit I was compelled to further research the concept. I found that I

questioned my gender schema. I automatically would identify males by a masculine dress code

or a shaved head, if however what I identified as male ended up being female I was always

wondering about the individual’s sexuality. This was as a result of the way I was nurtured.

On the lifelong debate topic of nature versus nurture, the safest way to see it is

understanding that both play a significant role in identifying self. I do however believe that

nature being that which is innate trumps nurture with regards to gender identity. I am reminded

of the case of the twin Bruce to Brenda to David and sadly to deceased. This is a great example

of nurture being on the back burner and nature at the forefront. Before this I was a solid believer

in there being a balance of the two, presently I perceive that everyone’s balance cocktail will be

different, some require more nature than nurture and vice versa. I cannot help but wonder if

Bruce would have been alive had his parents explained the botched circumcision to him.
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Foraging onwards to Unit 3, where we looked at the theoretical frameworks in studying

gender, namely the psychoanalytic approach and the socially-oriented theories. Right off the bat,

I identified with the socially- oriented theories rather than the psychoanalytic approach because it

basically was common sense to me. I did not however agree with the fact that gender as a social

construct believes that biology has nothing to do with the creation of gender, only society. To

state that gender is not a product of the body made no sense to me.While I also understood

Freud’s psychosexual stages of development, individuals each have their own experiences at

different stages of their development, it is not set in order as Freud suggested. If Freud’s theory

was supreme, then essentially I have not successfully passed the Electra complex, which states

that as a daughter, I fall in love with my father, identify with mother which results in me

hating her and develops penis envy. (UWIOC, 2020). However, my father was never present

during my childhood and my mother died when I was eight years old, where does that place me

and the countless others in society like me? To date, empirical evidence to support the

psychoanalytic theory is very little, which has aided in my disagreement with it.

Functionalist Theory, Symbolic Interaction, Conflict Theory and Feminist Theory

and their views about gender that were highlighted was instrumental in my understanding of

feminists specifically. Having seen feminists before as hostile and having a one-track mind, I

was able to now understand their standpoint. According to (UWIOC, 2020) the Feminist theory

“aims to understand and improve women’s positon in society.” I realised that I saw what is one

major framework of the feminist theory, that is, the liberal femiminism. Liberal feminism places

emphasis on individual rights as well as equal opportunity. I was pleasantly surprised that there

were other frameworks of feminism such as, social, radical and multiracial feminism.
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Finally, Unit 4 brought to light issues within the Caribbean and by a small extent my

country Trinidad and Tobago. Education, employment and careers, broken into two categories;

“Gender and Power” and “Intelligence and Cognitive Abilities,” were the highlights of Unit 4. I

was drawn towards the information provided on Intelligence and Cognitive Abilities. The three

major differences between male and female cognitive abilities are; 1) Higher verbal abilities in

women, 2) higher spatial abilities in men and 3) Higher arithmetical abilities in men. (UWIOC,

2020). This explains my lack of love for anything arithmetical and my love for debate. It answers

questions surrounding the enrollment differences between males and females, favoring females

namely at the tertiary school level. Looking at my country, it was found that there was a majority

of females accessing education as observed by the University of the West Indies (Reddock and

Bobb-SMith, 2008) as cited by (UWIOC, 2020). This I believe stems from the way both genders

were socialised. I would have thought that if males are genetically predisposed to arithmetical

abilities that they would be the sex that were more prevalent in accessing education than females

who from an early age are trained to be home-makers.

Thus far, my way of thinking or rather my way of “judging” individuals has changed, as I

am now more aware of the way one may identify with himself or herself and now even themself.

As a Christian woman, some concepts were difficult at first to understand. Rather than

categorizing atypical behaviours as “gay”, I can fairly say that acceptance does not mean

approval. In respecting each individual’s view of who they are, it is my job to accept them even

if I may not approve of their lifestyle. This is beneficial for me as a future Psychologist, in that

the purpose of this field is to help and not discriminate.

References:

McLeod, S. A. (2014). Biological Theories of Gender. Retrieved from:

http://www.simplypsychology.org/gender-biology.html

UWIOC. (2020). Gender and Psychology. [PDF Document]. Retrieved from Lecture Notes

Online Website https://2019.tle.courses.open.uwi.edu/course/view.php?id=925