Social gender conditioning’s influence on the relations between rumination and reflection.
October 8th 2010 06:22
The hypothesis here is social conditioning has lead to gender specific coping mechanism.
The research supports the structure that women social condition throughout human history has developed biological factors, both interconnecting and creating a specific gender stress coping, self-focused response style to stressful events.
This study will examine elements suggesting women ability to be more prone to rumination than men and why.
Response style theory ((RST) explains individuals differences in specific/chosen areas such as personality, cognitive development and behaviour, social influences and cultural differences. Here it will explain the differences between rumination, reflection and gender.
Reflection and Rumination are two different coping mechanisms responses to stressful events. While ruminative thinkers focus repetitively and passively with unhelpful and negative thoughts when confronting to stressors, reflective thinkers use problem-focused response, faster recovery with positive thinking.
Reflective thinkers seek solutions to the problem they are faced with, quickly, and don’t engage in an obsessive self-focusing response style that could lead to depressed states. (Lyubimirsky et al 1999). They use positive strategies and when done they move forward. Whereas ruminative thinkers described as poor problem solvers, keep thinking over and over again of the problem finding difficulty to solve it.
Several investigations showed that Rumination subjects tended to be more likely women than men, however it has been also recorded that there are a number of men with ruminative tendencies, and women who are reflective thinkers. (Mattiln, Wethington, Kessler 1990).
Lazarus and Folkman (1984) found that most subjects would demonstrate both coping capacities, but held a preference of one which suggested the influence of the personality factors.
Rumination is a natural process to a certain extent, according to Susan Nolen-Hoeksema, she attributes these gender differences mostly to socialization issues and power difference embedded in thousands years of practice. Elaine M. Murphy (2003) in the same vein as Nolen added that Social gender inequity (9e.g. poverty, lower social status, and Low life mastery) is an important factor enhancing women’s rumination in response to stressful events.
Then children’s upbringing, another social factor is suggested to heavily influenced gender difference, with the example that girls and boys are encouraged to develop “specific feminine or masculine characteristics” in dealing with stress suggesting how the environment does shape gender.
Yes, Men and women respond to stressors differently, beside suggesting social and personality reasons, the chemical and brain response to stressful events in men and women should also be taken into account.
Another suggestion emphasized that many stress responses are programmed in the brain at an early age of its development, “Our findings show that parental care has a significant impact on the development of stress responses." (Perrot-Sinal; 2009)
Can we say that response to stress is gender specific? While observing the brain activity and how it responded to stress and gender differences, researches showed that men and women used different parts of their brains while coping with stress. Men are known to use “fight-or-flight” stress coping response and women the so called “tend-and-befriend” stress coping. The “fight-or-flight” response is associated with the main stress hormone system that produces cortisol in the human body, men increase blood flow to the right prefrontal cortex, while women increased blood flow to the limbic system, primarily involved in emotion, associated with a more nurturing and friendly response. The researchers used for this study a high-tech imaging method to scan the brains of 16 mans and women. (Jiong jiong Wang 2008)
Scientists interested in the evolutionary theory examined gender roles from our ancestors, men pro-active response to danger situations, women responsible for nurturing, offspring maximizing the survival of the species in times of adversity. Those early social roles developed a natural, biological pattern transmitted in human’s genes along the history of humanity.
Yes gender really matters.
The results on the difference between the genders in terms of the coping mechanisms in response to stress stimuli have become clear.
“Knowing that women respond to stress by increasing activity in brain regions involved with emotion, and that these changes last longer than in men, may help us begin to explain the gender differences in the incidence of mood disorders.”(J.J. Wang 2009)
In summary, the combination of women’s social factors and biological influences has led to rumination hence building the symptoms of depression/stress. In the study reported here, we examined how social conditions, personality characteristics and biological factors affect one another, interact and contribute to the gender difference in rumination and/or reflection response style theory.
It is also important to mention that the different results to the studies conducted are influenced by ethnicity, economic and social environment.
References
Almeida, D. M., & Kessler, R. C. (1998). Everyday stressors and gender differences in daily distress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 670-680.
Butler, L.D., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1994). Gender differences in response to depressed mood in a college sample. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 30, 331-347.
Fleckhammer, L.E. (2004). The Revised-Rumination and Reflection Scale. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Melbourne: Swinburne University (for the scale reference only).
Gilman, S. (Ed.) (1995). Freud, Race and Gender. Princetown University Press.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1995). Effects of self focused rumination on negative thinking and interpersonal problem solving. J Pers. Soc., 69(1), 176-90.
Lyubomirsky, S., Tuker, K. L., Caldwell, N. D., & Berg, K. (1999). Why ruminators are poor problem solvers: The phenomenology of dysphoric rumination. J Pers. Soc., 77(5), 1041-60.
McBride, C., & Bagby, M. (2006). Rumination and interpersonal dependency: Explaining women’s vulnerability to depression. Canadian Psychology, 47, 184-194.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Parker, L. E., & Larson, J. (1994). Ruminative coping with depressed mood following loss. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 92-104.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Jackson, B. (2001). Mediators of the gender difference in rumination. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25, 37-47.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Larson, J., & Grayson, C. (1999). Explaining the gender difference in depressive symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1061-1072.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (Ed.) Understanding depression in women: The etiology of gender differences in depression.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Morrow, J. (1991). A prospective study of depression and post traumatic stress symptoms after a natural disaster: The 1989 Loma Pneta earthquake. J Pers. Soc., 61(1), 115-21.
Rossy, Ruiz-Padial, Johnsen & Thayer. (2003). Cognitive therapy and research: Gender differences in the relationship between emotional regulation and depressive symptoms (pp. 349-364).
Spence, G., & Grant, A. (2003). Self Reflection, insight and coaching psychology. Psychology Coaching Unit, School of Psychology, University of Sydney.
Tara Perrot-Sinal, TS (2008) Review of ‘Sex Differences in the Brain: From Genes to Behavior’ (Ed. Becker, JB et al.), New England Journal of Medicine, 358, 2189.
Thayer, J. F., Rossy, L. A., Ruiz-Padial, E., & Johnsen, B. H. (2003). Gender differences in the relationship between emotional regulation and depressive symptoms. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27, 349-364.
Murphy. (2003) Being born female is dangerous to health. American psychology, 58, 205-210
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York: publisher Springer.
The research supports the structure that women social condition throughout human history has developed biological factors, both interconnecting and creating a specific gender stress coping, self-focused response style to stressful events.
This study will examine elements suggesting women ability to be more prone to rumination than men and why.
Response style theory ((RST) explains individuals differences in specific/chosen areas such as personality, cognitive development and behaviour, social influences and cultural differences. Here it will explain the differences between rumination, reflection and gender.
Reflective thinkers seek solutions to the problem they are faced with, quickly, and don’t engage in an obsessive self-focusing response style that could lead to depressed states. (Lyubimirsky et al 1999). They use positive strategies and when done they move forward. Whereas ruminative thinkers described as poor problem solvers, keep thinking over and over again of the problem finding difficulty to solve it.
Several investigations showed that Rumination subjects tended to be more likely women than men, however it has been also recorded that there are a number of men with ruminative tendencies, and women who are reflective thinkers. (Mattiln, Wethington, Kessler 1990).
Lazarus and Folkman (1984) found that most subjects would demonstrate both coping capacities, but held a preference of one which suggested the influence of the personality factors.
Then children’s upbringing, another social factor is suggested to heavily influenced gender difference, with the example that girls and boys are encouraged to develop “specific feminine or masculine characteristics” in dealing with stress suggesting how the environment does shape gender.
Yes, Men and women respond to stressors differently, beside suggesting social and personality reasons, the chemical and brain response to stressful events in men and women should also be taken into account.
Another suggestion emphasized that many stress responses are programmed in the brain at an early age of its development, “Our findings show that parental care has a significant impact on the development of stress responses." (Perrot-Sinal; 2009)
Can we say that response to stress is gender specific? While observing the brain activity and how it responded to stress and gender differences, researches showed that men and women used different parts of their brains while coping with stress. Men are known to use “fight-or-flight” stress coping response and women the so called “tend-and-befriend” stress coping. The “fight-or-flight” response is associated with the main stress hormone system that produces cortisol in the human body, men increase blood flow to the right prefrontal cortex, while women increased blood flow to the limbic system, primarily involved in emotion, associated with a more nurturing and friendly response. The researchers used for this study a high-tech imaging method to scan the brains of 16 mans and women. (Jiong jiong Wang 2008)
Scientists interested in the evolutionary theory examined gender roles from our ancestors, men pro-active response to danger situations, women responsible for nurturing, offspring maximizing the survival of the species in times of adversity. Those early social roles developed a natural, biological pattern transmitted in human’s genes along the history of humanity.
Yes gender really matters.
The results on the difference between the genders in terms of the coping mechanisms in response to stress stimuli have become clear.
“Knowing that women respond to stress by increasing activity in brain regions involved with emotion, and that these changes last longer than in men, may help us begin to explain the gender differences in the incidence of mood disorders.”(J.J. Wang 2009)
In summary, the combination of women’s social factors and biological influences has led to rumination hence building the symptoms of depression/stress. In the study reported here, we examined how social conditions, personality characteristics and biological factors affect one another, interact and contribute to the gender difference in rumination and/or reflection response style theory.
It is also important to mention that the different results to the studies conducted are influenced by ethnicity, economic and social environment.
References
Almeida, D. M., & Kessler, R. C. (1998). Everyday stressors and gender differences in daily distress. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 670-680.
Butler, L.D., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1994). Gender differences in response to depressed mood in a college sample. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 30, 331-347.
Fleckhammer, L.E. (2004). The Revised-Rumination and Reflection Scale. Unpublished doctoral dissertation. Melbourne: Swinburne University (for the scale reference only).
Gilman, S. (Ed.) (1995). Freud, Race and Gender. Princetown University Press.
Lyubomirsky, S., & Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (1995). Effects of self focused rumination on negative thinking and interpersonal problem solving. J Pers. Soc., 69(1), 176-90.
Lyubomirsky, S., Tuker, K. L., Caldwell, N. D., & Berg, K. (1999). Why ruminators are poor problem solvers: The phenomenology of dysphoric rumination. J Pers. Soc., 77(5), 1041-60.
McBride, C., & Bagby, M. (2006). Rumination and interpersonal dependency: Explaining women’s vulnerability to depression. Canadian Psychology, 47, 184-194.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Parker, L. E., & Larson, J. (1994). Ruminative coping with depressed mood following loss. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 92-104.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Jackson, B. (2001). Mediators of the gender difference in rumination. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 25, 37-47.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Larson, J., & Grayson, C. (1999). Explaining the gender difference in depressive symptoms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 1061-1072.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (Ed.) Understanding depression in women: The etiology of gender differences in depression.
Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Morrow, J. (1991). A prospective study of depression and post traumatic stress symptoms after a natural disaster: The 1989 Loma Pneta earthquake. J Pers. Soc., 61(1), 115-21.
Rossy, Ruiz-Padial, Johnsen & Thayer. (2003). Cognitive therapy and research: Gender differences in the relationship between emotional regulation and depressive symptoms (pp. 349-364).
Spence, G., & Grant, A. (2003). Self Reflection, insight and coaching psychology. Psychology Coaching Unit, School of Psychology, University of Sydney.
Tara Perrot-Sinal, TS (2008) Review of ‘Sex Differences in the Brain: From Genes to Behavior’ (Ed. Becker, JB et al.), New England Journal of Medicine, 358, 2189.
Thayer, J. F., Rossy, L. A., Ruiz-Padial, E., & Johnsen, B. H. (2003). Gender differences in the relationship between emotional regulation and depressive symptoms. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 27, 349-364.
Murphy. (2003) Being born female is dangerous to health. American psychology, 58, 205-210
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, Appraisal, and Coping. New York: publisher Springer.
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