Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Carol Gilligan and the New Knowledge about Boys and Girls Development


Carol Gilligan and The New Knowledge about Boys and Girls Development


Newsweek


January 30, 2006


Gilligan is a very insightful writer; she notes that even in 1980, adolescent girls had not been formally studied much. Interestingly, when one sex is not understood, both sexes suffer.


She mentions the onset of the study of "emotional intelligence" and she mentions that with the information that these new researchers gave us, emotions and intelligence are known to help intelligence flourish in a child and a teen.


Gillian then makes an interesting contrast between the girls who are new teens and who are getting depressed and the boys who are 5,6, adn 7 and who sometimes how signs of depression and learning or speech disorders.


Gillian points out that boys have an innate sensitivity for honest relationships and that their own sensitivity should be encouraged. She thinks that if we truly look into these issues boys could be treated better and women could perform different jobs.


What do you think? Please write down your comments.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It all links up to the society a person groups up in.

Anonymous said...

I certainly agree with Gilligan that when one sex is not understood bith suffers. We often see what I call creative or preconceived requirements for how one sex should act. I have a feeling that a lot of the problems youngsters have are directly related to their home environment and the messages they receive there. I see parents telling their children to think for themselves yet, simultaneously attempt to guide them into a preconceived thought pattern. My daughters often reeled in confusion because their mother was seriously firm about how they "should " think and feel. She was constantly displeased because her dainty little daughters were more interested in trucks and so called male toys than the dolls she preferred them to play with. She was always upset when they wanted to go fishing with me because her feelings were locked on many of the old thought processes which set up strict gender tasks.

It has to be difficult to set up a study of gender feelings with often this type influence forced on youngsters. I woud say measuring outcomes would prove difficult. Children  are often victims of our perverences without either knowing. The child has been exposed to often subtle influences if not outright harsh direction and with there inate desire to please us will often lean towards that end tho against there own desires.

Male children are often forbidden to show outward emotion yet we marvel at the man who grew from that environment who seems disattached from emotional participation. We wonder why he doesn't have the ability to show intimate feelings and devotion.

I feel if we allowed more intelligent feelings in our children many would not suffer the confusions they often do. Then it would not be nearly as difficult for women to be accepted in more jobs and more men be more sensitive.

Spencer
http://journals.aol.com/yeolecontractor/SpencersPlace/
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