The Missing Discourse of Gender?

Abstract

Gender theories provide a critical framework for considerations of heterosexual identity. Patriarchal power rests on the social meanings given to biological sex differences and to their reproduction as societal discourses regarding what it means to be a woman or a man. This is a crucial point and one that we believe is not fully recognized in the proposed models. Implications for practice—namely, the need to recognize the interplay of gender with the power dynamics between men and women, and between therapists and clients—are briefly explored. In addition, the contributions of the proposed models—their combined attempt to address a critical gap in the sexual identity development literature, to deprivilege heterosexuality, and to disrupt heterosexist practice—are also noted and lauded.

Perceiving fairness in an unfair world: System justification and the mental health of girls in detention facilities

“…By demonstrating gender moderation of the association between believing in societal fairness (i.e., system justification), and internalizing and externalizing mental health outcomes in a population of adolescents in detention, our work suggests that it is not only how an individual understands the world that matters, but also who that individual is, in society. Indeed, youths' social location with respect to gender is a key aspect of their social identity (Gilbert & Rader, 2002; Oyserman & Destin, 2010). Our findings suggest that system justification is an important consideration for psychologists who are interested in understanding associations between perceptions about inequity and mental health.…”