The text suggests that various gender differences in development (e.g., socialization, cognition, and personality) may pave the way for future differences in misbehaving. Discuss personality differences. Explain why you agree or disagree with this premise

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

• Girls score higher on scales measuring agreeableness, while boys are more open to experience.
• Females are more willing to reveal their feelings and more likely to express concern for others and are more concerned about finding the "meaning of life" and less interested in competing for material success. Males are more likely to introduce new topics and to interrupt conversations.
• Adolescent females use different knowledge than males and have different ways of interpreting their interactions with others.
• Research shows that, as adolescents develop, male self-esteem and self-concept rise, whereas female self-confidence is lowered.
• One reason is that girls are more likely to stress about their weight and be more dissatisfied with the size and shape of their bodies. Young girls are regularly confronted with unrealistically high standards of slimness that make them extremely unhappy with their own bodies; it is not surprising that the incidence of eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia, have increased markedly in recent years.
• Gilligan uncovered an alternative explanation for this decline in female self-esteem: As girls move into adolescence, they become aware of the conflict between the positive way they see themselves and the negative way society views females. Many girls respond by "losing their voices," meaning that girls are submerging their own feelings and accepting the negative view of women conveyed by adult authorities.
• Student views will vary.