Issues and Debates

Gender Bias

Gender Bias is the differential treatment or representation of men and women based on stereotypes rather than real differences.

Alpha Bias

Psychological research that exaggerates the differences between men and women is alpha-biased. These differences are presented as real and enduring, fixed and inevitable, either to heighten the value of women or devalue them.

The classic example is Freud’s theory of psychosexual development. During the phallic stage, both boys and girls develop a desire for the opposite gender parent. In a boy this creates a very strong castration anxiety. The anxiety is resolved when the boy identifies with his father, but a girl’s eventual identification with her same-gender parent is weaker. This makes their superego apparently weaker, this is not true.

Beta Bias

Psychological research that ignores or underestimates difference between men and women is beta-biased.

An example is research on the flight or flight response.