Gender, Sex differences, and Sexuality in Behaviorist Theories. A History of Science Perspective

Abstract

This article explores how the four behaviorist theorists Skinner, Watson, Pavlov, and Thorndike deal with issues of sex differences, gender, and sexuality. In general, they do not explicitly theorize sex differences, gender, and sexuality. Only Thorndike dedicates a special chapter to sex differences. Pavlov does not take on any of the topics and Watson and Skinner mainly mention these issues in examples or side notes. In the concluding section I discuss how the behaviorist principles of learnability, plasticity and changeability get applied to behavior in the domains of sex differences, gender, and sexuality: On the one hand sexual or gendered behavior is conceptualized as learnt. On the other hand relevant areas of behavior get excluded and are seen as innate. These areas include heterosexuality, sex differences in sexual behavior, and – in some theories – maternal care and male aggression. Here, heteronormative and sexists assumptions creep in through the back door.