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crimson2283
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Psychology has reflected and contributed to the cultural bias of exalting
motherhood at the expense of fatherhood. Sigmund Freud considered
the mother, but not the father, to have a prominent role in infant
development. Gadpaille argues that maternalism is instinctual to
females, not only in the species but in mammals generally. He warns
that anyone advocating "•male mothering may bring harm to everyone
concerned."– Strongly influenced by such psychological theory, our
culture has been taken in by the "•superiority of mother"– theory.
Benjamin Spock, in a six-hundred-page book on child care, devotes
just three pages to the role of fathers. While he admits that a man does
not sacrifice his masculinity, Spock thinks child care is something the
father should do only occasionally-just to help the mother out. Fathers
who win custody of children in divorce proceedings are often advised
that they should immediately hire full-time housekeepers to function as
surrogate mothers.
But, alas, mothers who win custody are not told to provide surrogate
fathers for them. Margaret Mead, the famous anthropologist, once
remarked that "•fathers are a biological necessity but a social accident."–
Throughout the nineteenth and much of the twentieth century, our
culture has been quite comfortable with this stereotypical view of
fathers. "•Less than ten percent of the scientific studies of parents have
taken the father's role into account, in spite of the fact that half of all
parents are fathers."– Society has not yet changed in any major ways
with regard to fathers as nonparents. However, researchers have finally
realized that "•the motherhood role is not an inherited behaviour pattern,
but a learned set of social skills."–
Female children begin learning these social skills at a very early age;
society makes no effort to see that boys learn these same social skills.
Theories of "•maternal instinct"– and attachment or bonding as being
exclusively maternal are now being called into question. Infants bond
with both the mother and the father. A growing body of literature now
reveals that fathers do have potential nurturance just as mothers do.
Men are increasingly demanding to be accepted as nurturant parents
rather than just the provider and protector.
Young men are beginning to reject the models of parenting provided
by their fathers and are searching for ways to become parents as well
as fathers. A radical restructuring of maleness and fatherhood is
currently under way. Fathering and mothering are two distinct parental
roles. When a male is nurturant, he is fathering, not mothering. Both
mothering and fathering are valid roles, but they are by no means
identical.
The existence of which of these findings would most strongly challenge
Sigmund Freud's opinion as it is presented in the passage?
A. The personality of infants is strongly influenced by their mothers
B. The personality of infants is strongly influenced by their fathers
C. The personality of infants is weakly influenced by their siblings
D. The personality of infants is weakly influenced by their grandparents
E. The personality of infants is affected by many factors
Isn't this question similar to a weaken question? Since in weaken qns, we chose an answer that undermines the conclusion and not something that directly contradicts, I chose E. But OA is B.
Please suggest.
motherhood at the expense of fatherhood. Sigmund Freud considered
the mother, but not the father, to have a prominent role in infant
development. Gadpaille argues that maternalism is instinctual to
females, not only in the species but in mammals generally. He warns
that anyone advocating "•male mothering may bring harm to everyone
concerned."– Strongly influenced by such psychological theory, our
culture has been taken in by the "•superiority of mother"– theory.
Benjamin Spock, in a six-hundred-page book on child care, devotes
just three pages to the role of fathers. While he admits that a man does
not sacrifice his masculinity, Spock thinks child care is something the
father should do only occasionally-just to help the mother out. Fathers
who win custody of children in divorce proceedings are often advised
that they should immediately hire full-time housekeepers to function as
surrogate mothers.
But, alas, mothers who win custody are not told to provide surrogate
fathers for them. Margaret Mead, the famous anthropologist, once
remarked that "•fathers are a biological necessity but a social accident."–
Throughout the nineteenth and much of the twentieth century, our
culture has been quite comfortable with this stereotypical view of
fathers. "•Less than ten percent of the scientific studies of parents have
taken the father's role into account, in spite of the fact that half of all
parents are fathers."– Society has not yet changed in any major ways
with regard to fathers as nonparents. However, researchers have finally
realized that "•the motherhood role is not an inherited behaviour pattern,
but a learned set of social skills."–
Female children begin learning these social skills at a very early age;
society makes no effort to see that boys learn these same social skills.
Theories of "•maternal instinct"– and attachment or bonding as being
exclusively maternal are now being called into question. Infants bond
with both the mother and the father. A growing body of literature now
reveals that fathers do have potential nurturance just as mothers do.
Men are increasingly demanding to be accepted as nurturant parents
rather than just the provider and protector.
Young men are beginning to reject the models of parenting provided
by their fathers and are searching for ways to become parents as well
as fathers. A radical restructuring of maleness and fatherhood is
currently under way. Fathering and mothering are two distinct parental
roles. When a male is nurturant, he is fathering, not mothering. Both
mothering and fathering are valid roles, but they are by no means
identical.
The existence of which of these findings would most strongly challenge
Sigmund Freud's opinion as it is presented in the passage?
A. The personality of infants is strongly influenced by their mothers
B. The personality of infants is strongly influenced by their fathers
C. The personality of infants is weakly influenced by their siblings
D. The personality of infants is weakly influenced by their grandparents
E. The personality of infants is affected by many factors
Isn't this question similar to a weaken question? Since in weaken qns, we chose an answer that undermines the conclusion and not something that directly contradicts, I chose E. But OA is B.
Please suggest.












