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Nature-Based Theory: Protecting and Advancing Girls and Women Michael Gurian - www.gurianinstitute.com. Gabrielle and Davita. Did You Know?. Girls are four times more likely to attempt suicide than boys.
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Nature-Based Theory: Protecting and Advancing Girls and Women Michael Gurian - www.gurianinstitute.com
Did You Know? Girls are four times more likely to attempt suicide than boys. Girls psychological issues with self-image, physical attractiveness, and early sexuality during adolescence remain significant, despite decades of education and interventions. Violence against girls and women remains a significant problem, despite decades of interventions. Girl-on-girl aggression appears to have increased in the last two decades. Girls continue to predominate certain diagnoses, such as borderline personality disorder and anorexia and bulimia Girls still underperform boys in many areas of science and in many STEM subjects. Girls and women face workplace bias and dilemmas, especially in leadership styles. Other Issues you’ve noticed……..
Three Steps 1. Chromosome markers 2. In utero development 3. Nurture/culture/socialization *One hundred differences now known. *Brain is pre-set for gender, including gender spectrum. *AND: we do lifelong refinement of the brain *Gender has low plasticity, nurture guides brain expression, but format and structure are pre-set.
Hormones are a Big Deal in Utero—Architect of the brains of girls and boys
Sense and Emotions, Sensorial Information and Focus, Emotive Focus The least sensitive girl in the newborn nursery is generally more sensitive to physical sensations than the most sensitive male!
During the early years… More interested in faces than things…
What difference does difference make? A very profound difference between girls and boys is in the sequence of development of the various brain regions. They develop in a different sequence and different tempo. Girls reach the inflection point (halfway in brain development) just before age 11 years; boys do not reach the same until age 15.
Features of the Female Brain • More brain activity (15-30% more glucose metabolism), even in a rest state • More white matter, connecting more dots; better facial cues recognition; multi-focus, multi-task • More verbal centers in the female brain that cross communicate • Greater internal sensory and emotive experience processed • More corpus callosum activity, thus more cross talk between hemispheres
Brain Scans: Brains at Rest (Brain Scans Provided by Daniel Amen, M.D.)
Brains at Rest, IICourtesy of Daniel Amen, M.D. , www.amenclinics.com
Firefighter, female, 27: “I work with almost all competitive guys. I Like them and even though I’m competitive too, I’m different than them. I’ve learned that They are going to try to beat me, So I compete just enough that I have their respect and I compete to the level I want to get to. I don’t need to compete all the time to be happy. I respect, though, that most of them do, and they respect me for who I am. I had to prove myself, but once I proved myself, there wasn’t much drama with them anymore. We understand each other.” Girls have higher levels of oxytocin. Boys have higher levels of testosterone. (See Shelley Taylor, The Tending Instinct) 21
Effects of Brain Chemistry Difference Women: lower levels of testosterone, higher levels of oxytocin Men: lower levels of oxytocin, higher levels of testosterone Generates More Generates More • More Verbal-Emotive Processing • More Relational Imperative • More Direct Empathy • Experiences Self Worth Through: • More Multi-tasking and Rapport Building • Greater Variety of Interpersonal Goals • Face-to-face Conversations & Bonding • More Physical Activity, Territory • Performance Imperative, Risk • More Aggression Nurturance • Experiences Self Worth Through: • Individual, Independent Performance • More Interest in Rise in Status • More Shoulder-to-Shoulder Bonding
Girls Need Both Maternal and Paternal Nurturance: Aggression and Empathy Nurturance: Both are Vital Within Three Family System • Men: “Dude, you’re getting fat. Come play basketball.” • Systems orientation, including use of aggression/status system. • Individual crisis is generally required to elicit direct empathy. • Helps with emotion regulation and helps girls prepare for marriage and workplace • Women: “How’s your new diet going? How can I help?” • Direct empathy, individualized; system comes second. • Crisis not required to elicit empathy; oxytocin stimulated • Helps with all future life as well as emotion regulation now. • DEEPEN DIALOGUE ON TWO KINDS OF NURTURE!
Honest Dialogue • Trudy’s story, Depression • Endocrinology, endocrine system assessment • Begin with Pediatrician, but move toward specialist as needed. • Educate girl and family on effects of brain biology on mood and behavior. • Girls tend toward body and bonding disorders. • Integrate bio-therapy into talk therapy Progressive Biochemical Therapy Beginning at eight or nine, look at biology clearly
Female Bridge Male Male Diversity: The “Bridge Brain” Brains at Rest
Gurian Institute – Learning Through a Gender Lens • Check out the Gurian Institute – www.gurianinstitute.com • Learn the latest research in gender differences related to education and human behavior.. • Learn the role gender plays in the 3 fundamental areas of child development: nature, nurture and culture. • Learn gender-friendly strategies to see positive results in your professional and personal relationships. • GI Professional Development options • Onsite – learn with you colleagues • Online – general or private classes • Professional resources – for self study • Summer Institute – July 14-16 in Colorado Springs • Keynotes: Michael Gurian, Rosalind Wiseman, Dr. Calvin Mackie • Breakouts: over 20 options
Deal with Stereotype Threat Before Adolescence Marketing copy: Who has time for homework when there’s a new Justin Bieber album out? She’ll love this tee that’s just as cute and sassy as she is Okay? Okay?
Leadership Advancement for Women: Issues ►Women’s approaches & styles are not understood/valued (gender differences in gifts & expressions of talent) ►Women don’t self-promote or present accomplishments; they defer; including millions with ADD (undiagnosed), scattered, overwhelmed. ►Women don’t hunt as a team, though they relate in groups. ►2/3 of women have nonlinear careers (including 2-5 years of discontinuity) (Women’s Research, Sylvia Ann Hewitt) **Ability Asymmetry must be accounted for – she may have many talents and a male may have one primary talent
Protecting the Emotional Lives of Girls; Girls and Their Relationships
De-Stress Her Life: Chronic Stress and the Brain; Decrease Activities? Research: Women tend to use both sides of the brain to respond to emotional experiences; men use only one. Brain Scans: When viewing emotional images, nine areas light up for women; two areas light up for men.
Not always sugar and spice… Girls vie for the attention and acceptance of their peers. They often use relational and social aggression in an attempt to secure their place in a social group. Ostracization is also nature’s tool to end selfish behavior, i.e. promote cooperation in groups. 34
Teaching Girls Positive Conflict and Challenge • Help girls fail and enjoy imperfection. • Reality check with her (even regarding obesity, painful areas) • Contextualize “dark side of oxytocin.” • Contextualize relational aggression as a character issue • Help girl tell you what’s bothering her with I language, and without tangents. Challenge her (even interrupt) when she’s tangential. • Help her do a life-review and see how normal and useful conflict actually is. • Stop her from blaming when she is to blame.
New Rules For Women • It is not your responsibility to make everyone happy. If you are interrupted, wait a beat, then continue. Be passionate, concise, and clear. • Find the job with the options you need – rewrite the workplace. Fortune 500 CEO and “top dog” are not necessarily right for or the gold success standard for most women with families. • Stop taking things personally! The world is competitive, and people are just not nice, especially when they want power. Deal with it. • Because girls often avoid conflict and failure, we forget to teach these skills—so, nurture your own strength as much as you do your desire to be loved and mirrored. • Don’t blame men anymore for a woman’s situation—it will distract your success building with excuses and straw men rather than provide long-term holistic success for women (most women want/love men).
All My Children During an average year teens see: More than 14,000 =
Our Mentors & Role Models • Who were the women/men who have made a difference in your life? • What “gifts” did they give you? • Need social-emotional mentors especially if dad is gone.
Working with Girls and Women • Listen for “gem,” “kernel,” in long speech, paraphrase it back. • Ask introverted girl to discuss and demonstrate specialized knowledge. • Ask her to discuss facial cues she picked up, and reality check those with her. • Set goals and objectives, be directive when needed. • Reassure her that she is not alone. • Equal parts praise and critique. • Tell your own story as she struggles
STEM ISSUES Girls are often behind in gross motor development and spatial-mechanical development Manipulatives help girls exercise their spatial brains and develop more confidence. Hands engaged = brains engaged!
Some of this relates to the Brain: Most brain imaging and behavioral task studies confirm that boys have more advanced spatial abilities. The right hemisphere of the brain is considered the center for spatial skills. Studies have shown that, as early as 3-6 months, boys havemore responsivieness in the right hemisphere.
Google, NASA: : Start Early with Gross Motor and Spatial Development
Give girls a spatial assignment, but without written instructions. Encourage them to use reasoning/problem-solving skills to produce a product.
Teaching GIRLS well • Teacher uses less body movement when teaching. • Provide quieter environment with fewer distractions. • Give full directions and answer questions before starting to work. • Warmer room, working in a circle, may use less physical work space. • Collaborative work but competition okay too. • Grades & desire to please provide motivation. • Watch tone of voice – not too loud or harsh—stimulates stress response. • Small talk & relaxation before tests/quizzes. • Success attributed to hard work.
