Gender and psychological differencesgender and subjectivity

Resumen

Different units of analysis to study gender differences in psychological domains have been proposed. Basically, the present chapter is focused on the trait domain, characteristic adaptations, the objective biography, self-schemas, and character strengths. The main results point to some differences between men and women at the trait level, but the magnitude of this difference is generally small. Although the basic tendencies that represent traits are strongly dictated by heredity, some cultural and environmental influences have been signaled. Vital pathways, different patterns for managing work and the private life, interpersonal ways of treating others, etc., are among the different adaptations that men and women have to accomplish. At this level more gender differences have been found, although they are not stable because of cultural and historical changes. Research has found male/female differences in the structure of the self-schema, and some data on a few of the many character strengths also have appeared. According to all this, it is argued that differences can also be found in the objective biography of men and women. The conclusion, however, is that we should not emphasize peculiarities, since in the five domains of personality the differences are generally not large.