Gender Role Development & Sexuality and Sexual Orientation - Research Paper Example

Gender Role Development In APA Format There is little doubt about the fact that our society is full of stereotypes, girls and boys are both brought up very differently from one another. Girls are taught to be sensitive; on the contrary boys are made rough and tough. Parents play a pivotal role in passing their beliefs on to their children, the way they think matters the most and the same also reflects on the thinking of their children. We live in a society, in which sons and daughters are treated very differently, pink is considered feminine and blue is considered an ideal color for boys.

Boys are given much more freedom than girls; this is often fought against by the mothers. Boys make their own groups when they reach infancy, such groups operate independently but when girls make such groups they have to be dependent on someone to operate effectively. A girl who displays masculine traits is considered abnormal and a boy who displays feminine traits is considered abnormal, this is very stereotypical thinking and something which must change very soon. Girls are encouraged to play with dolls and boys on the contrary engage in activities which suit their gender.

“While both mothers and fathers contribute to the gender stereotyping of their children, fathers have been found to reinforce gender stereotypes more often than mothers.” (Ruble, 1988) These were some of the socio-cultural and biological factors which affect gender role development.Sexuality and Sexual Orientation “Sexuality has three stages: Desire is an interest in being sexual. Excitement is the state of arousal that sexual stimulation causes. And orgasm is sexual pleasures peaking.

A sexual disorder occurs when theres a problem in at least one of these stages.” (Sexuality) Sexual orientation refers to the disposition of men towards women and vice-versa. This attraction gets redefined at times when men get attracted towards other men and women get attracted towards other women. Sexual orientation is very closely connected with personal identity; one chooses an ideal partner depending on their compatibility and gets romantically involved with that person. There are many factors that can easily influence sexual orientation.

Loneliness and sadness is the most common cause of homosexuality, child abuse can also significantly alter the sexual orientation of a person. When peers reject a person during his adolescence, the person becomes lonely and starts seeking the company of someone who can help. Weak masculine identity is another cause of homosexual temptation, fear and mistrust is another common cause which can determine one’s sexual orientation. Some people become sexually compulsive and that is how their sexual orientation changes.

Trauma during childhood is another common cause of homosexuality; other important causes include narcissism and anger. These were some of the most important factors that have a significant bearing on sexual orientation. ReferencesRuble, D. N. (1988). Sex role development. In M. H. Barnstein & M. E. Lamb (eds.) Developmental psychology: An advanced textbook, 2nd ed. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Sexuality (2011). American Psychology Association. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/topics/sexuality/index.aspx