1 Psychology 320: Psychology of Gender and Sex Differences Lecture 30

2 Office Hour Invitations December 4 th, 1:30-2:30, Kenny

3 Announcement Our CSL partner organization, Beauty Night Society, was granted the BC People’s Choice Investment Award—in part, due to your votes. Thank you. Students who have requested a CSL placement with Beauty Night Society should receive an regarding their orientation and interview by the end of the weekend.

4 Exam: December 15, :30-11:00, CIRS 1250 The exam will consist of 20 multiple choice questions (1 point each) and 6-8 short answer questions (2-8 points each, totaling 30 points). The exam is worth 20% of your final grade. The exam will be scored out of 50 points. The exam is not cumulative. The exam will include questions related to chapters 5-8 and all accompanying lecture material.

5 Please arrive on time to facilitate rapid distribution of the exams. Bring a pencil, eraser, pen, and your student ID to the exam. All electronic devices must be put away before the start of the exam. Bags and backpacks should be left at the front of the room. Valuables (e.g., laptops) may be placed under your seat. Hats (e.g., baseball caps) should not be worn during the exam.

6 Office Hours I will hold the following office hours in December to assist students with exam preparation: Tuesday, December 4, 1:30-2:30 Tuesday, December 11: 1:30-2:30 Thursday, December 13: 2:00-4:00 Friday, December 14: 10:00-12:00

7 Emotion 1. Are there sex differences in emotional expression? (continued) 2. What is restrictive emotionality?

8 1. review research findings regarding sex differences in emotional expression. By the end of today’s class, you should be able to: 2. discuss the relationship between gender and emotional expression. 3. define the terms “restrictive emotionality” and “alexithymia.” 4. discuss the correlates of restrictive emotionality.

9 Display rules encourage the expression of powerless emotions (e.g., sadness, fear, guilt) by females and the expression of powerful emotions (e.g., anger, contempt, pride) by males (e.g., Safdar et al., 2009). Are there sex differences in emotional expression? (continued)

10 Kring and Gordon (1998)  Asked participants to complete the BSRI.  Examined participants’ emotional expression in response to film clips designed to evoke distinct emotional experiences.

11 Frequency of Expressions by Sex (Kring and Gordon, 1998) Frequency

12 Frequency of Expressions by Gender Role Classification (Kring and Gordon, 1998) Frequency

13 What is restrictive emotionality? Refers to the limited emotional expression associated with the male gender role. Theorists maintain that restrictive emotionality is fostered among males through: observation of male role models, interpersonal familial dynamics, and social rewards and punishments.

14 Consider your reaction to the following conversation between “Mike” and “Jim”: Mike, I’ve been so upset since we had that argument, I could hardly sleep last night. Are you sure you’re really not mad at me? Jim, I’m so relieved …. I was just as afraid that you’d be mad at me!

15 Restrictive emotionality has a number of adverse correlates (Wester et al., 2004): anxiety and depression. physiological distress (e.g., increased blood pressure). anger. homophobia. relationship difficulties. alexithymia. use of “immature” ego defenses (e.g., denial, displacement vs. anticipation, suppression).

16 Your Questionnaire: Toronto Alexithymia Scale (Bagby, Parker, & Taylor, 1994) Cronbach’s alpha =.81. Mean for undergraduate females: 48.9 (SD = 11.48). Mean for undergraduate males: 51.1 (SD = 10.40). Non-alexithymia: Scores ≤ to 51. Alexithymia: Scores ≥ 61. Possible alexithymia: Scores of 52 – 60. Test-retest reliability =.77.

17 With respect to anger, Long (1987) has described anger as the “male emotional funnel system.” Cohn, Seibert, and Zeichner (2009): Found that males who were high in restrictive emotionality were more likely than males who were low in restrictive emotionality to exhibit aggression (i.e., administer high- intensity shocks to an opponent). Chronic anger is associated with increased incidence of hypertension, heart attack and stroke.

18 Emotion 1. Are there sex differences in emotional expression? (continued) 2. What is restrictive emotionality?