The role of socialization process in the creation of gender differences in anger

There is a general belief that women do not express their anger as men do. Contrary to this general belief, this paper argues that women express their anger but they express it differently. Previous research has indicated that there are important gender differences in expression of anger and anger provoking situations. For example, women generally have expressed their anger through indirect ways (e.g. verbal aggression) while men have expressed their anger through physical aggression. After discussing the gender differences, this paper mainly focuses on possible early socialization processes relevant to considering gender differences in anger. The reason for focusing on early socialization process is that individuals are taught not only how to behave but also how to feel and express their emotions consistent with their gender during this process. Therefore, the early socialization process possibly has different effects on the way in which women and men express their anger. In this context, gender role socialization, the interaction within the family and peer groups in the early socialization process is discussed. By doing so, we might have a better understanding of the nature and underlying mechanism of the observed gender differences in anger.

Socialization ,

Anger ,

Gender ,

Men ,

Women ,

Physical Aggression ,

Verbal Aggression ,