Bandura Gender Identity

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The development of sexuality in human beings depends on the biological sex of the individual, gender identity and perceived gender roles, and sexual orientation. A human can be born a biological male or female but if there is confusion regarding gender identity, gender role, and sexual orientation it will likely complicate their sexual development. Chromosomes and hormones work together to determine the biological sex of a human embryo. (King & Regan, 2012). Any chromosome or hormone disorder can cause a disruption of biological sexual development, which will also cause confusion when it comes to gender identity and gender roles. There are several theories regarding gender identity and including Sigmund Freud’s theory, Albert Bandura’s …show more content…

Those of whose gender identity does not match up with their biological sex is labeled as having a gender identity disorder, however gender is created on a social level and its meaning can differ greatly depending on the culture. The definition of gender is not universal and really there is a fine line that defines what is feminine and what is masculine depending on the time and culture (WHO, 2014). Gender identity is subjective and cannot be determined by anyone but the individual. A child can be raised as their biological sex but not feel the same way on the inside. American society has determined that baby girls should wear “girl colors” and baby boys should wear “boy colors”. A stroll through the Grand Traverse Mall last Saturday afternoon revealed that it is evident that people still believe that infants should where certain colors and styles depending on their biological sex and gender. School-aged children tended to make more individual choices but there was still a clear difference in the way they dressed. The lines blurred a bit with kids in their teens because then it was about making their own choices, which is usually the opposite of what their parents and society expects. With some teens it was hard to tell whether they were male or …show more content…

The evolutionary theory sees gender role development through the lens that roles were developed through need as humans evolved. With the sociocultural theory is based on the idea that society is what molds the role expectations and that at birth we are neutral (King & Regan, 2014) During a visit to a local preschool when asked what they want to be when they grow up 72 percent of the preschool to early elementary-aged children stated that they want do whatever their same sex parent does or they said, “I want to be just like my mommy (or daddy)”, therefore the sociocultural theory makes more sense than the evolutionary theory does at least in modern times. Children are definitely influenced by the adults in their

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