1 Psychology 320: Gender Psychology Lecture 31
2 Invitational Office Hour Invitations, by Student Number for December 3 rd 11:30-12:30, 3:30-4:30 Kenny
3 Exam: December 15, 8:30-11:00 AM Woodward 2 The exam will consist of 20 multiple choice questions (1 point each) and short answer questions (2-12 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 will cover Chapters 5-8 of the textbook and all material discussed in class since the midterm exam.
4 Please arrive on time; students who arrive after a classmate has completed the exam and left the exam room will not be permitted to write the exam. Bring a pencil, eraser, pen, and your student ID to the exam. Electronic devices are not permitted at your desk. Due to concerns regarding theft, do not bring valuables to the exam room. Hats (e.g., baseball caps) should not be worn during the exam.
5 Reminder I will hold additional office hours in preparation for the December exam: Friday, December 10: 3:30-4:30 Monday, December 13: 10:00-12:00, 1:00-3:00 Tuesday, December 14: 10:00-1:00
6 Emotion: 1. Are there sex differences in emotional expression? (continued) 2. What is restrictive emotionality?
7 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. distinguish between “internalizers” and “externalizers.”
8 4. define the terms “restrictive emotionality” and “alexithymia.” 5. discuss the correlates and consequences of restrictive emotionality.
9 Physiological measures reveal greater facial reactivity among females than males when experiencing similar emotions (Kring & Gordon, 1998; Thunberg & Dimberg, 2000). Are there sex differences in emotional expression? (continued) Women and men are able to identify facial expressions of emotions more readily among females than males (LaFrance & Banaji, 1992).
10 FemalesMales Corrugator Response Skin Conductance Response Unpleasantness Rating (0-9) Mean Corrugator Supercilii Responses, Skin Conductance Responses and Unpleasantness Ratings for Fear-Relevant Stimuli for Females and Males (Thunberg & Dimberg, 2000)
11 Seven display rules have been identified: Unmodified expression, amplification, deamplification, neutralization, qualification, masking, and simulation. Theorists maintain that sex differences in emotional expression are the result of socially constructed display rules: “Norms regarding the expected management of facial appearance” (Ekman, 1973).
12 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).
13 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.
14 Frequency of Expressions by Sex (Kring and Gordon, 1998) Frequency
15 Frequency of Expressions by Gender Role Classification (Kring and Gordon, 1998) Frequency
16 What is restrictive emotionality? Refers to the limited emotional expression associated with the male gender role. Restrictive emotionality is fostered among males through: observation of male role models, interpersonal familial dynamics, and social rewards and punishments.
17 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!
18 Restrictive emotionality has been associated with adverse consequences (Wester et al., 2004): anxiety. physiological distress. depression. anger. homophobia. relationship difficulties. alexithymia. use of “immature” and “neurotic” ego defenses.
19 With respect to defense mechanisms, Mahalik et al. (1998) investigated the relationship between restrictive emotionality and the use of mature vs. immature defense mechanisms among males. Examples of mature defense mechanisms: Sublimation, humour, anticipation, suppression. Examples of immature defense mechanisms: Projection, acting out, autistic fantasy, denial, displacement, somatization.
20 Found that males who were high in restrictive emotionality were more likely than males who were low in restrictive emotionality to use immature defense mechanisms.
21 With respect to anger, Long (1987) has described anger as the “male emotional funnel system.” Cohn, Seibert, and Zeichner (2009) investigated the relationship between restrictive emotionality and physical aggression among males. 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).
22 Emotion: 1. Are there sex differences in emotional expression? (continued) 2. What is restrictive emotionality?