Difference Theory

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Recommended: Gender differences introduction part

The Differences Theory states that men and women are psychologically vastly different, whereas the Gender Similarities Hypothesis states that men and women are similar than they are different as we learned from lecture. Men and women are vastly different and according to Janet S. Hyde (2007), she has identified 46 different meta-analyses that assessed psychological gender differences. The dictionary defines meta-analyses as a quantitative statistical analysis of several separate but similar experiments or studies in order to test the pooled data for statistical significance. Some of the differences that Janet S. Hyde (2007) found spanned a wide range of domains such as cognitive abilities, social behavior and personality, communication and other areas. Men are more interested in sports, outdoor activities they are not interested in feelings and they like competition, whereas women are interested in relationships, love, feelings and communication.
According to Deborah A. Prentice and Erica Carranza (2002), women are portrayed as warm and caring whereas men are portrayed as tough and strong. These are a few of the differences between men and women. Men have a different energy then women. Men and women represent two forms of energy; they are the male and female elements of a soul. Men are physically stronger; by nature, they are usually more aggressive and externally oriented. In contrast, a woman is usually the ideal of inner dignity; some people would consider this as weakness, whereas in truth it is stronger than most aggressive physical force. Dignity does not shout being strong but it is a strong, steady voice, which speaks from within.
Gender Similarities Hypothesis is strikingly different from the prevail...

... middle of paper ...

...s definition of the Gender Similarities Hypothesis states there are some differences, the only example that could contradict this theory is in the earlier years where men and women had their roles and they were not crossed. Men were the breadwinners and women cleaned and took care of the children. In the early years, those roles were not crossed and showed how different men and women were before the war.

Works Cited

Men and Women: No Big Difference. (2005). American Psychological Association. Online accessed
12/15/2013.

Hyde J.S. (2007). New Directions in the Study of Gender Similarities and Differences. Current
Directions in Psychological Science. Vol. 17.

Prentice D.A. and Carranza E. (2002). What Men and Women Should Be, Shouldn’t Be, are allowed to be and don’t have to be. Psychology of Women Quarterly. Blackwell Publishing. Printed in the USA.

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