8.9-8.11 Gender Roles

Gender

The psychological aspects of being masculine or feminine.

Gender roles

The culture's expectations for male or female behavior, including attitudes, actions, and personality traits associated with being male or female.

Gender typing

The process of acquiring gender-role characteristics.

Social Learning Theory

Emphasizes learning through observation and imitation of models and attributes gender role development to those processes.

Gender schema theory

A theory of gender-role development where a child develops a framework, or schema, for being male or female and organizes behavior around that schema.

Androgyny

Characteristic of possessing the most positive personality characteristics of both males and females regardless of actual sex.

Sexual orientation

A person's sexual attraction to and affection for members of either the opposite or same sex.

Heterosexual

Sexual attraction toward, or sexual activity with, members of the opposite sex.

Homosexual

Sexual attraction toward or sexual activity with members of the same sex.

Bisexual

Sexual attraction toward, or sexual activity with both men and women.

Asexual

Lack of sexual attraction to anyone or a lack of interest in sexual activity.