Gender and psychology: A brief history of misunderstandings

Abstract

In spite of its rather long history in psychology, it was only recently that the gender concept was accepted by researchers and the implications of its use, for psychological research, were fully recognized. The integration of gender has indeed fuelled an epistemological debate that has contributed to question some basic assumptions in psychology, as well as the faith in the objectivity of the ways of seeking knowledge in psychological research. This article highlights the difficult trajectory of the gender concept in psychology, since it first appeared 30 years ago. The introduction presents some examples of the prevalent confusion between sex and gender in order to illustrate how discipline has resisted the paradigmatic shift required by the gender perspective. The second part of the article points out some of the obstacles to this shift, particularly in American psychological research, in the context of the new social movements, such as feminism. The last part of the article discusses new developments from European social psychology, particularly within social representations and social identity theories, tat can contribute to a consistent theoretical framework for the study of gender issues.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17575/rpsicol.v15i1.488