1000 RC Passage # 25

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1000 RC Passage # 25

by punitkaur » Tue Oct 06, 2009 5:42 pm
In 1977 the prestigious Ewha Women's University in Seoul, Korea, announced the opening of the first women's studies program in Asia. Few academic programs have ever received such public attention. In broadcast debates, critics dismissed the program as a betrayal of national identity, an imitation of Western ideas, and a distraction from the real task of national unification and economic development. Even supporters underestimated the program; they thought it would be merely another of the many Western ideas that had already proved useful in Asian culture, akin to airlines, electricity, and the assembly line. The founders of the program, however, realized that neither view was correct. They had some reservations about the applicability of Western feminist theories to the role of women in Asia and felt that such theories should be closely examined. Their approach has thus far yielded important critiques of Western theory, informed by the special experience of Asian women.

For instance, like the Western feminist critique of the Freudian model of the human psyche, the Korean critique finds Freudian theory culture-bound, but in ways different from those cited by Western theorists. The Korean theorists claim that Freudian theory assumes the universality of the Western nuclear, male-headed family and focuses on the personality formation of the individual, independent of society. An analysis based on such assumptions could be valid for a highly competitive, individualistic society. In the Freudian family drama, family members are assumed to be engaged in a Darwinian struggle against each other-father against son and sibling against sibling. Such a concept projects the competitive model of Western society onto human personalities. But in the Asian concept of personality there is no ideal attached to individualism or to the independent self. The Western model of personality development does not explain major characteristics of the Korean personality, which is social and group-centered. The "self" is a social being defined by and acting in a group, and the well-being of both men and women is determined by the equilibrium of the group, not by individual self-assertion. The ideal is one of interdependency.

In such a context, what is recognized as "dependency" in Western psychiatric terms is not, in Korean terms, an admission of weakness or failure. All this bears directly on the Asian perception of men's and women's psychology because men are also "dependent." In Korean culture, men cry and otherwise easily show their emotions, something that might be considered a betrayal of masculinity in Western culture. In the kinship-based society of Korea, four generations may live in the same house, which means that people can be sons and daughters all their lives, whereas in Western culture, the roles of husband and son, wife and daughter, are often incompatible.

Which of the following best summarizes the content of the passage?
(A) A critique of a particular women's studies program
(B) A report of work in social theory done by a particular women's studies program
(C) An assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of a particular women's studies program
(D) An analysis of the philosophy underlying women's studies programs
(E) An abbreviated history of Korean women's studies programs

I was confused between B&D. OA is B. Whats wrong with D?
Isn't the passage focussing on analyzing the Freudian theory with respect to korean and western culture, and the theory, which the author thinks is related to the women's studies programs, in other words the philosophy behind them?

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by punitkaur » Thu Oct 08, 2009 11:00 am
Can anyone help me with this please?

Thanks

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by ironsferri » Tue Jun 15, 2010 11:56 am
Can someone shed some light on Q 7?


7. Which of the following statements about the Western
feminist critique of Freudian theory can be supported
by information contained in the passage?
(A) It recognizes the influence of Western culture on
Freudian theory.
(B) It was written after 1977.
(C) It acknowledges the universality of the nuclear,
male-headed family.
(D) It challenges Freud's analysis of the role of
daughters in Western society.
(E) It fails to address the issue of competitiveness in
Western society.


OA is A, , but where's that supported in the passage? I cannot find.
Please help!

Thank you!

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by singhpreet1 » Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:30 pm
ironsferri wrote:Can someone shed some light on Q 7?


7. Which of the following statements about the Western
feminist critique of Freudian theory can be supported
by information contained in the passage?
(A) It recognizes the influence of Western culture on
Freudian theory.
(B) It was written after 1977.
(C) It acknowledges the universality of the nuclear,
male-headed family.
(D) It challenges Freud's analysis of the role of
daughters in Western society.
(E) It fails to address the issue of competitiveness in
Western society.


OA is A, , but where's that supported in the passage? I cannot find.
Please help!

Thank you!
Hi buddy... your answer lies in para 2: For instance, like the Western feminist critique of the Freudian model of the human psyche, the Korean critique finds Freudian theory culture-bound, but in ways different from those cited by Western theorists.

i hope that was helpful.

Preet