Gendered Situations, Gendered Selves: A Gender Lens on Social Psychology(The Gender Lens)

Social psychologists have often assumed that situations and behaviour are gender neutral, yet assumptions about gender have affected the questions they have posed as well as the answers they have provided. The authors of this volume explore the ways in which social psychology has simultaneously ignored and been deeply influenced by gender. They also consider the ways in which gender differences are not the same as sex differences.

Table of Contents:
Defining Social Psychology and Gender Conceptions of Gender in Social Psychology Social Exchange and Related Theories Social Cognition Symbolic Interactionism Altruism and Aggression Gendered Dynamics of Helping and Harming Others Conclusions Reprising a Gender Lens on Social Psychology

About the Author :
Judy Howard is Professor of Sociology at the University of Washington. She studies gender dynamics and interactions, emphasizing micro-level cognitions-stereotypes, attitudes, expectations about gendered situations-and how they shape and are shaped by social interactions and macro-level social institutions. She is currently co-editing SIGNS: Journal of Women in Culture and Society. Jocelyn A. Hollander is Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon, Eugene. Her research focuses on gender, power, and culture, and especially on violence against women.

Review :

"This very interesting book is filled with adept summarizations and shrewd insights, and anyone interested in social psychology would be well advised to read it." --Verta Taylor, Professor, University of California at Santa Barbara, Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society

"Gendered Situations, Gendered Selves is part of a series designed to integrate theory and research on gender into the discipline of social psychology as a whole. Historically, social psychology has failed to analyze gender and has been influenced byprevailing cultural assumptions about women and men. Howard and Hollander believe that gender is evoked by virtually all behaviors and situations and therefore must be a central component of theories and research on social behavior. The goal of the authors is to demonstrate that 'a gendered analysis facilitates a more nuanced and sociological analysis of the intersection between individuals and the societies in which they live.' After defining social psychology and gender and examining concepts of genderin social psychology, the authors examine three major social psychological theories: social exchange, social cognition, and symbolic interaction. This is followed by two chapters on altruism and aggression, and a concluding chapter that presents an example from everyday life. Throughout the book the authors emphasize two points. First, that social psychology has simultaneously ignored and been deeply influenced by gender. Second, that although gender differences may exist, they are not the same as sex di" --C. Adamsky, (University of New Hampshire), Choice Reviews

"Gendered Situations, Gendered Selves is part of a series designed to integrate theory and research on gender into the discipline of social psychology as a whole. Historically, social psychology has failed to analyze gender and has been influenced by prevailing cultural assumptions about women and men. Howard and Hollander believe that gender is evoked by virtually all behaviors and situations and therefore must be a central component of theories and research on social behavior. The goal of the authors is to demonstrate that 'a gendered analysis facilitates a more nuanced and sociological analysis of the intersection between individuals and the societies in which they live.' After defining social psychology and gender and examining concepts of gender in social psychology, the authors examine three major social psychological theories: social exchange, social cognition, and symbolic interaction. This is followed by two chapters on altruism and aggression, and a concluding chapter that presents an example from everyday life. Throughout the book the authors emphasize two points. First, that social psychology has simultaneously ignored and been deeply influenced by gender. Second, that although gender differences may exist, they are not the same as sex differences. This work is an excellent analysis of the necessity of a 'gender lens' for understanding the behavior of individuals in the social context in which they live. Upper-division undergraduates and above." --C. Adamsky, (University of New Hampshire), Choice Reviews