Sex Differences in Self-Construals in Relationships

Sex Differences in Self-Construals in Relationships

The following paper seeks to present a critique of the article that seeks social standing; women seek companionship: sex differences in deriving self-worth from relationships. It shall commence by summarizing the major findings of the research and then proceed to the critique of the findings by presenting a personal view on the position of the researchers on the basis of reliability and effectiveness as well as ethical considerations of the research work.

The article by Kwang et al. (2013) entitled Men to seek social standing, women, seek companionship: sex differences in

deriving self-worth from relationships is an experimental analysis of the impact of gender on the perception of men and women towards self-worth. As indicated in study 1, the article indicates that despite the difference in perception of lay people regarding the subject, the relationship remains a critical component in the determination of self-worth of both men and women. Further, as indicated in the experiment, study 1 categorically indicates that although there are stereotypic views on the subject of relationship and self-worth, both men and women rely on the relationship of defining their self-worth. The article further indicates that the impact of relationship in determining self-worth is linked to different dimensions by both men and women. The article substantiates this by highlighting that women value relationships as a sign of love and a sense of unity, yet men perceive the relationship as a sign of social value. Furthermore, the researchers have indicated that in times of atrocities, men such as intimate partner violence, men tend to cling on their partners, whereas women would be reluctant to stay in the relationship. Furthermore, the research also likens the positive recuperation of men suffering from mental health illness to relationships and familial ties (Kwang et al. 2013).

Variables are critical in any experiment. Variables generally include elements of study in the experiment. The independent variables are the stable variables that are being investigated, while the dependent variables are those that rely on the independent variables. The key variables in this experiment were the participants (114 men and 171 women), self-worth, and relationship. From the experiment, self-worth and relationship are the dependent variables, while the participants constitute the independent variables. As highlighted from study 1 of the experiment, the extent to which the self-worth of an individual is determined by the relationship among laypeople relies heavily on the gender construction of the people under investigation (Kwang et al. 2013). Thus, as indicated from study one, the score of self-worth of a person depends heavily on the gender of the person, thus making the participants in the experiment the independent variables because the outcome of the experiment depends on their composition.

The sample space comprised 114 men and 171 women who were all either in a relationship or married. The participants were asked to report their views on three different views regarding self-worth, namely lay belief, self-construal, and measure of the relationship on self-worth. The respondents submitted their views on each of the questions based on their perceived understanding. The lay response indicated that men predominantly base their self-worth on status. In relation to relationship and self-construal, it was reported that men do not base their worth on relationship. The respondents were expected to provide the researchers with their independent views regarding the factors that influence the self-worth of human beings (Kwang et al. 2013).

Based on the findings, the researchers established that the lay people believe that there is a distinction on the extent to which relationship affects the self-worth of men and women. Additionally, respondents in Study 1 also indicated that the social status of men took precedence to construal and relationship attachments. In consultation with other independent findings, the researchers established that though perceived differently by both men and women, the relationship was very important in the determination of self-worth. The conclusions of the researchers, however, indicated that relationship was an important determinant on matters of self-worth. This position resonates well with a socio-cultural construct of the worth of human beings in any society (Kwang et al. 2013).  The authors of this article concluded that both men and women equally relied on status to determine self-worth.

Critique

The findings of the study Sex Differences in Self-Construals in Relationships are valid and reliable and can be used to justify the position taken by the researchers for a number of reasons. First, the research took into account men who were in relationships and had a better understanding of the dynamics of social relationships and how it affected men and women in making a determination of their self-esteem and consequently, self-worth. Additionally, the experiment also considered the perception of medical findings regarding the state of mental health illness in relation to recuperation subject to a good relationship and when there is poor or no support for a spouse or a partner. The findings indicated that men who suffer from mental health problems would recuperate faster when they enjoy good relationships than those who lacked such support thus doing the research to be reliable and valid since the findings are based on scholarly evidence that have been tested and proven and can be defended by facts and figures from previous findings.

Furthermore, the researchers also took into consideration the ethical requirements that are expected of any experiment involving human elements. All the respondents were mature adults above the minority age, thus eliminating the question of working with underage that would have made the experiment to lack ethical consideration in terms of age. Additionally, it also captured both male and female respondents, thereby indicating that the experiment was not gendered biased at all as it considered views from either gender. Moreover, the participants were not coerced into the exercise and were not mistreated during the entire period when the experiment was being conducted. By incorporating even the lay in the experiment, the researchers considered all the extremes in a real society away from hypothetical experimental studies. Thus the lay represented the view of the conservatives in the society who believe in the older way of reasoning.  Lastly, the researchers also compensated the participants for taking the time to participate in the experiment. In light of the results obtained from the experiment, I feel that the findings as indicated by the researchers is an understatement of what ought to be a real result. The researchers did not highlight that men rely on the relationship as a sign of self-worth than even women. The authors failed to mention that most men who are divorced show signs of frustration than women. This fact, coupled with the findings of mental health, clearly indicates that relationship is very critical to men in determining their social worth than even women as purported in the experiment. Apart from the concept of self-worth, the issue of relationship is also important in determining the occupations of individuals. It is important to note that it is for this reason that women are commonly preferred in sales and marketing since they are amiable and are able to develop relationships very fast. Given the expansive research using different models, then researchers ought to have indicated that men generally rely on different parameters to seek satisfaction while women are cautious about building lasting relationships. However, that notwithstanding, both men and women are affected in equal measure by matters to do with relationships.

Brief Summary

The study by Kwang et al. (2013) demonstrates clearly that human beings, whether men or women rely on relationships as a key pillar in developing self-esteem and self-worth. Though there are divergent views on the issue of gender and self-worth, it is imperative that the article underscores that both men and women rely on relationships for establishing their social worth. Though the primary reasoning may be divergent for both men and women, it is an important ingredient in determining the self-esteem of a person. Men consider the relationship as a show of their social class while men require it for solace, romantic attachment, and identity. Health records also justify this position, as well. The findings and the conclusion manifest clearly that relationship is very significant in all societal activities: the society examines individuals on the basis of their relationships with others.

References

Kwang1, T.,  Crockett, E. E.,  Sanchez, D. T.  & Swann,  W. B Jr. (2013). Men Seek Social Standing; Women Seek Companionship: Sex Differences in Deriving Self-Worth From Relationships. Association of Psychological Science, 24(7) 1142–1150