Title: Influences of Culture and Gender on Personality
Headings: Influences of Culture and Gender on Personality
Influences of Culture and Gender on Personality
Both culture and gender are important factors that influence the development of personality.
Learning Objective
Key Points
Terms
Full Text
Culture and Personality
Gender and Personality
Influence of gender roles on personality expression
Approaches to Studying Personality in a Cultural Context
Allport's, Cattell's, and Eysenck's Trait Theories of Personality

Content: For example, aggression and assertiveness have historically been emphasized as positive masculine personality traits in the United States. Meanwhile, submissiveness and caretaking have historically been held as ideal feminine traits. While many gender roles remain the same, others change over time. In 1938, for example, only 1 out of 5 Americans agreed that a married woman should earn money in industry and business. By 1996, however, 4 out of 5 Americans approved of women working in these fields. This type of attitude change has been accompanied by behavioral shifts that coincide with changes in trait expectations and shifts in personal identity for men and women. Influence of gender roles on personality expression
Gender roles can determine which traits are considered positive or desirable. These traits vary from culture to culture. Approaches to Studying Personality in a Cultural Context
There are three approaches that can be used to study personality in a cultural context: the cultural-comparative approach, the indigenous approach, and the combined approach, which incorporates elements of the first two approaches.