Do biological factors, such as gonadal hormones,
determine our sexual destiny after our genes are in
place? Do they make men aggressive, or women nurturing?
Do they cause boys and girls to play differently or to
have different interests? Do they explain differences in
sexual orientation within each sex group? Do they
contribute to the preponderance of men in science or
women at home? Scientists working from a psychosocial
perspective would answer these questions differently
than those working from a behavioral neuroscience or
neuroendocrinological perspective. This book brings both
of these perspectives to bear on the questions, tracing
the factors that influence the brain, beginning with
testosterone and other hormones during prenatal life,
and continuing through changing life situations and
experiences that can sculpt the brain and its activity,
even in adulthood.This influence has important
implications for understanding the social roles of men
and women in society, the different educational and
emotional issues that confront males and females, the
legal rights of those whose sexual orientation or gender
identity do not correspond to norms, and even standards
of clinical care for people born with physical intersex
conditions that make it difficult to classify a person
as male or female at birth. This original and accessible
book will be of interest to psychologists,
neuroscientists, pediatricians, and educators, as well
as the general public. It is also suitable for use in
graduate and undergraduate courses on the psychology of
gender or on hormones and behavior. |
|