Unlike the first person I described, this one sometimes has difficulty being in-
timate with others or sharing feelings. I ’ve never seen this friend cry.
Unless you’ ve already caught on to my point here, you probably imag-
ined that the first person is a woman and the second is a man, even though I
never identified the gender of either. If so, it doesn ’t mean you’ re gullible or
sexist. Rather, it suggests you are aware of the gender-role stereotypes that af-
fect the way men and women behave in this culture. Traditional stereotypes
portray men as aggressive, independent, and unemotional, whereas womenare depicted as passive, dependent, and affectionate. Much has been written
recently about changes in these gender roles, with men being told it is all right
to show emotion and women being encouraged to be assertive and business-like. However, although some gender restrictions may have loosened in recent
years, gender roles remain a part of our culture.
Why do women tend to behave in certain ways and men in others?
Although biological differences between the sexes certainly play a role, beha-
viorists and social learning theorists point to a lifelong process of gender-role
socialization. Children and adults acquire and maintain gender-appropriatebehaviors largely through operant conditioning and observational learning.
You can see the effects of operant conditioning whenever young children act
in gender-inappropriate ways. Boys often tease one another for crying, play-
ing with dolls, or showing an interest in cooking or sewing. Similarly, play-
mates make fun of girls when they act like tomboys. Boys are rewarded with
camaraderie and parental nods for playing football and standing up to those
Most little girls occasionally play “dress up.” Girls put on their mother ’s clothes, jewelry,
and makeup after identifying that this is something females, but not males, do. We
would not expect to find little boys imitating this behavior.376 CHAPTER 14 The Behavioral/Social Learning Approach