Introduction to Psychology

 Running head: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY 1
Introduction to Psychology
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INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY 2
Introduction to Psychology
2. Mr. Kaufman fears that his wife’s interactions with their baby may eventually lead
the child to have various adverse consequences. They may include crying easily when
frustrated, fearful clinging to his mother, becoming unfriendly toward other people, and
becoming withdrawn and uninterested in his surroundings. This paper refutes some of Mr.
Kaufman’s believes and supports some of them.
Firstly, Mr. Kaufman is not mistaken thinking that the incessant interaction of the
mother with her baby might lead to the fact that the baby would cry easily when frustrated. If
the mother reacts instantly to the crying of her baby every time it happens and hurries to hold
the child and fulfill all his wishes, such child might not learn how to cope with frustration. It
will result in the inability to deal with the stress in the adult life. It is important to allow
babies to learn how to self-soothe themselves. However, according to Hamer (2012), leaving
a crying baby without an attention at all is also extremely harmful to his mental health. If a
child is not just crying to attract the parents’ attention but has some problems or faces some
vital needs, including the need of love and interaction with his mother, and she does not
come, it may lead to the inferiority complex of a child. The baby might decide that if a
mother does not come, it is his fault, not his mother’s one. Such child will feel undesirable
and unworthy, which will have a lasting effect on all his life.
Secondly, Mr. Kaufman’s beliefs that a child will fearfully cling to his mother and
become unfriendly to other people if his mother spends too much time with a baby are far
from reality. In fact, the opposite is correct. Various research, for example, the study carried
by Cathy Hamer (2012), prove that the more time a baby spends communicating with his
mother and other caregivers, the more open and sociable he becomes. “It is becoming
increasingly clear that the more babies experience shared talk and activity, the more effective
they become as communicators” (Hamer, 2012, p. 17). A child, who received enough care, 
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY 3
attention, and love from his parents, will also treat all other people with love and not with
fear and suspicion.
Finally, one more Mr. Kaufsman’s fear that a baby will become withdrawn and less
interested in his surroundings is not correct. According to Hamer (2012), the cognitive
development of children also depends on their interaction with their caregivers and the
amount of attention babies receive from them.
Summing up, Mr. Kaufman’s believes are mostly groundless. “The lack of
personalized care during the early years of life has a devastating effect on the child’s health,
growth, personality adjustment and cognitive capacity” (World Health Organization, 2004, p.
1). In other words, by depriving the baby of her love and attention, Mrs. Kaufman could do
more harm to his psychological health.
3. Biological and cultural explanations of various gender differences do not have
to contradict because only the combination of these factors shapes the gender identity of a
person. Very often, it is difficult to distinguish the borders between nature and nurture in a
child becoming a representative of a gender.
The importance of biology in forming such traces as aggressiveness and social
connectedness is beyond doubt. Although men and women are similar in numerous biological
aspects, there are important differences, such as hormones, a set of chromosomes, as well as
primary and secondary sex characteristics. Hormones are one of the most influential factors
that form a person’s gender identity because they affect not only the physical gender
differences but also psychological. The main male hormone is testosterone, which facilitates
the appearance of secondary sex characteristics. If a woman has more testosterone than
necessary, she has more muscles and is more aggressive. Consequently, one can conclude
that testosterone makes men more physically strong and aggressive. In terms of psychology,
these two aspects might be interconnected. In particular, males are physically stronger and, as 
INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY 4
a result, are more likely to defend themselves. Therefore, they are more individualistic,
aggressive, and competitive. On the contrary, females are less strong and thus feel the need of
socialization and connectedness.
The case of David Reimer described by Myers (2007) might illustrate the importance
of hormones. A little boy lost his penis in the early childhood and doctors advised his parents
to nurture him as a girl named Brenda. Nevertheless, “Brenda” did not behave as other girls.
Finally, he learned the truth about his gender from his parents, cut off his long hair, changed
his na