Essay on Karen Horney's The Distrust Between the Sexes

In Dave Barry’s article “We’ve Got the Dirt on Guy Brains” and the Deborah Tannen’s “Sex, Lies, and Conversation” , the authors discussed the difference between men and women in terms of specific issues. However, their opinions of what reasons have led to certain differences diverged. This essay aimed at providing a detailed examination of both articles by comparing some of the points. First of all, I will discuss the shared point of both articles regarding the differences of men and women. Then the I will move on taking about the major different opinions the two authors held. Once these have been done, a brief examination of the the evidence in both articles.

In Dr. Horney’s “The Distrust Between the Sexes,” she explains the “several psychological reasons” for the unease in a relationship. Dr. Horney explains the discomfort in a couple’s bond with three causes. Horney argues there are “individual factors” that causes “poor relationships between men and women” that might “be pertinent ones” (340). The reality of what she argues however is in her “commonplace” theories. These theories help give the reader better comprehension of the problems or distrusts in a relationship. To better understand Dr. Horney’s theory as to the causes of the “Distrust Between the Sexes,”

The mind is shaped by those with which one surrounds him or herself. This is a result of the human desire to see oneself in others as a tactic to relate and discover commonalities. The inclination to build relationships and connect to other humans is so strong that people become dependent on external gratification, even in environments where acquaintances do not necessarily reflect a person on the most basic level: sex. Due to overpowering masculinity, women oftentimes submit to the ideals of their male counterparts and the societal expectations pushed onto them as women in a patriarchal society. Jesmyn Ward’s Salvage the Bones displays that the feminine inferiority complex is not innate, but rather is informed by external forces.

To become a carpenter, one needs a saw. To become a forester, one needs an axe. Tools are required for—and are even symbolic of—their respective professions. For women, however, the tools required to become scholars, free-thinkers, and intellectuals were held out of their reach for much of American history. The reason behind this was simple: they had not shown themselves capable to earn it. Women, it was argued, typically showed no signs of being rational thinkers, and therefore, were not even afforded the opportunity to prove themselves. In the late eighteenth century, Judith Sargent Murray argued that women had, in fact, proven themselves to perform creatively and intellectually with the opportunities that were given to them—opportunities that were often overlooked. Most notably, Murray argues that women partake in almost destructive social behavior as an outlet for creativity—an idea which is played on in the nineteenth century American novel The Linwoods through the importance of hierarchy to its female characters.

breakdown of how society views what it is meant to be masculine and feminine. He bases them upon

housewife, to stay at home. This is my explanation of the essay, "The Cult of

"For most of history, anonymous was a woman", quotes Virginia Woolf. (1) Throughout history, women’s lives were restricted to domesticity and family, and they were left oppressed and without political voice. Over the decades the roles of women have dramatically changed from chattels belonging to their husbands to gaining independence. Women became famous activists, thinkers, writers, and artists, like Frida Kahlo who was an important figure for women’s independence. The price women paid in their fight for equality was to die or be imprisoned along with men, and they were largely forgotten in written history. However, the roles they took on were wide-ranging which included working in factories, tending the troops, taking care of children

Every person is entitled to his or her own personal ways of life to become his or her own individual. However, some people have unbalanced roles in life between themselves and their couple. The women in the relationship tend to be the persons who get manipulated into just providing and satisfying their significant other’s needs. This ongoing unbalance between the sexes, has been happening since forever and women feel secure when being together with a man. Mrs. Ames from Astronomer’s wife and Jig from Hills like White Elephants are both women who have depended on a man for secureness but with ambiguous communication, these women are finding affection elsewhere.

Norms in society are the expectations of actions in specific situations. Social norms keep human social relations and behavior stable. Norms are “rules” that have developed within a particular society taking into account its values, culture and way of living. Sometimes, it is even the case that individuals do not have a choice and rarely recognize that fact that social norms have arbitrary origins because they have experienced this during the ongoing process of living (Clinard and Meyer 2011:10). Thus, gender norms are sometimes seen as limiting, disenfranchising and oppressive. People who are in less-favored or less-accepted norms are sometimes pushed to “deviate” from the norm in order to achieve some form of “liberation” from their

At a young age, we are taught to adhere to norms and are restricted to conform to society’s given rules. We are taught that straying away from stereotypes is anything but good and encouraged to build our lives upon only these social rules. Recently, stereotypes based on genders have been put into the limelight and have become of high interest to a generation that is infamously known for deviating from the established way of life. Millennials have put gender roles under fire, deeming it a form of segregation and discrimination by gender. Researchers have followed suit. Mimicking millennial interests, numerous studies have been published that detail the relationship between gender, stereotypes, and the effects of the relationship between the two. Furthermore, gender roles have been used as a lens to study socialization; tremendous amounts of interest have prompted studies on the inheritance and dissemination of norms, culture, and ideologies based on the stereotypes that cloud gender. For sociologists, determining the extent of the impact of gender stereotypes on socializing our population has become a paramount discussion. Amidst many articles, the work of Karniol, Freeman, and Adler & Kless were standouts and between the three pieces, childhood served as a common thread; more specifically, these researchers studied how gender roles impact socialization from such a young age.

“Hypocrite of Women,” by Denise Levertov seems to contain a deep message within its playful wording. The basic meaning that I was able to pull from within this was that as women we are hypocrites, because we will shun others within society for what we consider to be inappropriate behavior, or below the standards of society, however when it comes down to our own personal faults within our characters, we tend to overlook them or ignore them. This is a fascinating poem because I feel like it does reflect how society was as well as is today. In “The Ache of Marriage,” I was able to discern that Denise Levertov’s goal was to explore the pain of an unwanted marriage. The pain that she reflects within her writing seems to be of both an emotional and a physical basis.

Since the beginning of time, gender has played a big role in how one acts and how one is looked upon in society. From a young age children are taught to be either feminine or masculine. Why is it that gender plays a big role in the characteristics that one beholds? For centuries in many countries it has been installed in individual’s heads that they have to live by certain stereotypes. Women have been taught to be feeble to men and depend on them for social and economical happiness. While men have been taught to be mucho characters that have take care of their homes and be the superior individual to a woman. For the individuals who dare to be different and choose to form their own identity whether man or woman, they are out casted and

Gloria Jean Watkins, known by her pen name Bell Hooks (the name of her great grandmother), was born September 25, 1952. She grew up to be the author of more than three dozen books, the topics of which range from gender, race, and class, to spirituality, and contemporary media. Hooks attended Stanford University, The University of Wisconsin, and The University of California, Santa Cruz, eventually earning her P.h.D. In her article, “Understanding Patriarchy,” Hooks argues that patriarchy isn’t only harmful to women, it’s harmful to men as well, in different ways. Patriarchy sets rigid gender roles that say women are to be docile, obedient, and nurturing, while men should be violent, dominating, and aggressive. This ideal greatly emotionally stunts men, and makes it so that they cannot express themselves in any way other than aggression. In this article, Hooks was very effective in explaining and giving examples as to why the patriarchy negatively affects both men and women, and that it is up to both to break free from these constraints and work together to end the patriarchy.

Gender inequality has been an issue since long before the 1840s, when feminists finally brought the problem to light. Most ancient cultures were societies based on gender inequality, skewed towards male-dominance. Most societies are still mostly patriarchal, in fact. Patriarchy is the root of discrimination between sexes and genders and has been for a very long time.

The textbook identifies four approaches to gender development: biological, interpersonal, cultural, and critical. Define each theory. Then answer the following question: which of the theoretical approaches to gender do you find the most valid? Be sure to include at least two examples from your own experience as well as two scholarly sources to back up your claim.