Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gbm5v Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T12:54:19.525Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The father of the man — the mother of the woman?: Behavioural problems in boys and girls and some of their implications for social work

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2024

Anne Sheppard
Anne Sheppard*
Affiliation:
School of Social Work, Leicester University, England
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

We all know — or think we know — that boys behave differently from girls, even if our analysis progresses no further than some tautologous recognition that boys are more ‘boyish’. We are also inclined to think that the ‘problem’ child will grow out of his difficulties, but that so far as socially disruptive behaviour is concerned, boys, on the whole, are rather more seriously problematic than girls. Generalized notions of this sort contain elements of both truth and fiction which cannot properly be appreciated unless sex differences in behaviour shown by young children are analysed and placed in perspective. I hope here to consider how the disordered behaviour of boys generally differs from that of girls and to draw attention to some of the implications of this for their adulthood and for the social worker.

Type
Research Article
Information
Children Australia , Volume 4 , Issue 2 , Winter 1979 , pp. 6 - 11
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1979

References

Anders, T.F. (1976). What we know about sleep disorders in children. Medical Times, 104, 75–80.Google Scholar
Cowie, J., Cowie, V. and Slater, E. (1968). Delinquency in Girls. London: Heinemann.Google Scholar
Graham, P., Rutter, M. and George, S. (1973). Temperamental characteristics as predictors of behaviour disorders in children. Amer, J. Orthopsychiat., 43, 328–339.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Halverson, C. and Victor, J. (1976). Minor physical anomalies and problem behaviour in elementary school children. Child Development, 47, 281–285.Google Scholar
Herbert, M. (1975). Problems of Childhood. London. Pan.Google Scholar
Herbert, M. (1978). Conduct Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence. Chichester: Wiley.Google Scholar
Herbert, M. and O'Driscoll, B. (1978). Behavioural Casework — a social work method for family settings. Aus. Child and Family Welfare, 3, 14–25.Google Scholar
Hutt, C. (1972a). Males and Females. Harmondsworth: Penguin.Google Scholar
Hutt, C. (1972b). Neuroendocrinological, behavioural, and intellectual aspects of sexual differentiation in human development. In: Gender Differences: Their Ontogeny and Significance. (Ed. by Ousted, C. and Taylor, D.C.). Edinburgh: Churchill.Google Scholar
Kohlberg, L. (1967). A cognitive-developmental analysis of children's sex role concepts and attitudes. In: The Development of Sex differences. (Ed. by Maccoby, E.E.). London: Tavistock.Google Scholar
Levine, M. (1977). Sex differences in behaviour ratings: male and female teachers rate male and female pupils. Amer. J. Community Psychol., 5, 347–353.Google Scholar
Lewis, M. and Weinraub, M. (1974). Sex of parent x sex of child: socioemotional development. In: Sex Differences in Behaviour (Ed. by Friedman, R.C., Richart, R.M., Wiele, R.L. Vande). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Maccoby, E.E. and Jacklin, C.N. (1975). The Psychology of Sex Differences. Stanford University Press, Calif. Google Scholar
MacFarlane, J., Allen, L., Honzik, M. (1954). A Developmental Study of the Behaviour Problems of Normal Children between Twenty-one Months and Fourteen Years. Berkeley: University of California Press.Google Scholar
Money, J. and Tucker, P. (1977). Sexual signatures. London: Cox and Wyman.Google Scholar
Richman, N., Stevenson, J.E. and Graham, P.J. (1975). Prevalence of behaviour problems in 3-year-old children: An epidemiological study in a London borough. J. Child Psychol. Psychiat., 16, 277–287.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robins, L.N. (1966). Deviant Children Grown Up. Baltimore: Williams and Wilkins.Google Scholar
Robins, L.N. (1970). The adult development of the antisocial child. Seminars in Psychiatry, 2, 420–434.Google Scholar
Rothbart, M.K. and Maccoby, E.E. (1966). Parents' differential reactions to sons and daughters. J. Pers. soc. Psychol., 4, 237–243.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. (1970). Sex differences in children's responses to family stress. In: The Child and His Family (Ed. by Anthony, E.J. and Koupernik, C.). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. (1975). Helping Troubled Children. Harmondsworth: Penguin.Google Scholar
Rutter, M. (1977). Classification. In: Child Psychiatry: Modern Approaches. (Ed. by Rutter, M. and Hersov, L.). Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
Sack, W.H. (1977). Children of imprisoned fathers. Psychiatry, 40, 163–174.Google Scholar
Sears, R. (1965). Development of gender role. In: Sex and Behaviour (Ed. by Beach, F.). New York: Wiley.Google Scholar
Thomas, A., Chess, S. and Birch, H.G. (1968). Temperament and Behaviour Disorders in Children. London University Press.Google Scholar
Werry, J.S. and Hawthorne, D. (1976) Conners teacher questionnaire - norms and validity. Australia and New Zealand J. Psychiat., 10, 257–262.Google Scholar
West, D.J. and Farrington, D.P. (1977). The Delinquent Way of Life. London: Heinemann.Google Scholar
Wolkind, S.N. (1974). Sex differences in. the aetiology of antisocial disorders in children in long term residential care. Brit. J. Psychiat., 125, 125–130.Google Scholar