Biological Arguments
Research would be successful if its focus is more on behavioral problems. Disorders like depression necessitate the inclusion of an affective model to add to solely behavior. Attention should be more on differences that exist between groups when there is or there is no diagnosis rather than one particular individual focusing on reliability but not validity because validity is achieved when the theoretical model is provided to explain person differences or differences in traits between persons at one given time or the differences that exist within persons across time.
Eating disorders have been studied among young women and adolescent girls. Despite reveal by recent research that a large percentage of men have behaviors that are related to eating disorders, their experience individually remains unstudied. Additionally, the reality is that many men conceal and deny that they have the disorder. This was examined through narrative inquiry where two men were diagnosed medically with an eating disorder and treated. Though each one of them was not impervious to pressures from the family or society to look perfect, such pressures were exacerbated by fear and the experience of being stigmatized by professionals who were helping them. (Kunkel, 2003 pp22-24)
Implications for a Culture That Believes That the Sexes Are Distinct Opposites
Gender differences exist in the sexual behavior of human beings and the differences are physiological functions, social, cognitive, and behavior behavioral elements. The behavior ranges from copulation up to maternal care. Psychological differences that exist between males and females show that, in society, gender differences are learned after infancy due to the intimate relationship that exists between child and mother. During infancy, the mother takes care of the child all the time by providing love, security, and comfort.
According to the hypothesis of gender intensification, there is opposite role behavior of different sexes which was tolerated during childhood but not acceptable at the adolescent stage. During adolescence, there should be appropriate behavior that applies to sexual motivation. As one socialize, sex-appropriate behavior is imposed for males and females, and events that occur in series change how females develop such as pregnancy, nurturing, and childbirth. (Gaston, 1996 pp33-35)
Motivation is the aspect of sexuality that is viewed to be different for both sexes. In general, women are motivated sexually as an expression of the love they have while sex motivates men because it is the source of pleasure. Women could not experience sexual intercourse as a physical relationship when there is no emotional involvement. More women than men abstain from sex due to religious beliefs, feeling it is wrong morally, fearing to disappoint parents, and fear of having an unwanted pregnancy. For men, their response to reasons for not engaging in sex is more than those of women with the reason that they lack the opportunity to have sex.
Sexual identity and sexual roles are the major factors in developing and maintaining sexual attitudes. The culture in which there is the socialization of young girls is the one where sex is perceived, valued, and interpreted than the dominant social culture. In the subculture of feminine, sex is associated with marriage, procreation, and relationships, and commitment to sex is important to females. Consequences of greater productivity for females should logically be able to influence patterns of behavior. (Marin, 1997 pp11-12)
References
Gaston J. (1996): understanding gender differences: pp. 33-35.
Kunkel A. (2003): Assessing explanation for sex differences: Blackwell Synergy pp. 22-24.
Marin B. (1997): culture and sex implications: Ally and Bacon pp. 11-12.