Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Post 8



              The chapter this week I found to be very interesting. I think everyone struggles with the stereotypical gender roles. As I was reading over the stereotypical male and female characteristics I found that I fit into some from both categories. For instance, I am not a dependent person, I am independent all the way. I think this probably comes from my parents’ divorce. I got to witness first hand that you cannot put full dependence in anyone because they may leave you. I watched as my mom and dad struggled to put their lives back together after the divorce. I know that being dependent on people for some things can be healthy but I struggle with this idea very much. I want to know that if I am left alone that I will be able to survive and take care of myself and my responsibilities. But on the other hand I am very warm and nurturing (Corey & Corey, 2008). I am the person that all of my friends call when they need a shoulder to cry on or someone to vent to, I am very supportive of the people I care about and really just people in general. So I see some of my personality leaning towards the feminine side but on the other hand I am very independent. I think I just have to learn to embrace all of my characteristics and try not to separate them into male and female, maybe I should look at androgyny as a focus instead. There is no reason why my personality characteristics should be all female I think that would create a very dull person. I believe a blend between the two would be better. 

            This whole chapter really could be very useful in my future endeavors with clients. I think people are starting to break out of the stereotypical gender roles but there are still families out there that hold these traditional values with high regard. In the future I can use this knowledge to let my client know that they are not wrong for wanting to break out of these gender roles. I can let them know that being male or female should not limit who they are as a person to only stereotypical correct personality traits. I think I really try to use the idea of androgyny in my future career, I think that is where the future is heading and the world would be better if female and male were just a gender and not a list of specific traits that an individual should possess. 

            In the article this week I really found it interesting how many different results they received depending on the type of relationship. I really do feel that marriage does provide emotional support and helps the decrease the chances of depression. I also found it very interesting that those who remarried they did not receive the same amount of happiness as the individuals who married for the first time. I feel like this could because of the simple fact marriage is nothing new to them. They know what they are getting into and do not go through the honeymoon phase. Overall I felt that Kim and McKenry did a very good job at separating the relationships out into the different types. 

Corey, G., & Corey, M.S. (2008). I never knew I had a choice: Explorations in personal
            growth (9th ed.). Belmont, California: Thompson Brooks/Cole.

Kim, H.K., & McKenry, P.C. (2002). The relationship between marriage and psychological well-  being. Journal of Family Issues, 23(8), 885-911.  

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