2.  Gender Differences in Action
 Oxytocineffect: Some studies havefoundthat
Oxytocin promotes caregivingbehaviors&
underlies attachment between mother and
infant.
  Females often prefer being with others
 when stressed.
  Females more likely to seek out & use
 social support systems.

4.  Strategies for Managing StressRegysicaland
emotional symptoms of stress that men and
women report, both groups say they manage
their stress in very different ways. In general,
though, both men and women tend to
choose sedentary activities like reading,
listening to music and watching television to
manage their stress over healthier behaviors
like seeing a mental health professional or
exercising.

5.  Female Thing?
 Move over “fight-or-flight”~ there’s a new
 paradigm
  Doesn’t replace “fight-or-flight” but adds
 dimension to stress responses
  Female stress response appears to be
 biological, cultural & situational
  Same immediate hormonal response but
 followed by a physiological response that
 inhibits flight
 Male or Female Responses
 Male~ Adrenaline hormones secreted
 into the bloodstream~ mobilized to
 attack or flee. (Fight or Flight)
  Male~ civilized world, not easy to fight or
 flee. May result in buildup of stress
 responses resulting in high rates of male
 cardiovascular disease.
  Female~ Respond to stressful situations
 by protecting self and others. (Tend)

6.  Azar(2000) states that there is a huge gap in
the stress response literature
 Majority of studies conducted with males
 Upheld the “fight-or-flight” as main response
to stress
 Male responses appear to be regulated by
testosterone

7.  generalizations don’t always hold true, they
initiate thought or awareness.
 Tend-and-befriend may be just as adaptive
for men as for women.
 Socialization builds upon biology, but gender
differences can be either accentuated or
minimized.