Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

Coping521IN FOCUSGender Differences in Responding to Stress: “Tend-and-Befriend” or “Fight-or-Flight”?Physiologically, men and women show the same hormonal andsympathetic nervous system activation that Walter Cannondescribed as the “fight-or-flight” response to stress (1932). Yetbehaviorally, the two sexes react very differently.To illustrate, consider this finding: When men come home aftera stressful day at work, they tend to withdraw from theirfamilies, wanting to be left alone—an example of the “flight”response (Schulz & others, 2004). After a stressful workday,however, women tend to seek out interactions with their maritalpartners (Schulz & others, 2004). And, they tend to be morenurturing toward their children, rather than less (Repetti, 1989;Repetti & Wood, 1997).As we have noted in this chapter, women tend to be muchmore involved in their social networks than men. And, as comparedto men, women are much more likely to seek out anduse social support when they are under stress (Glynn & others,1999). Throughout their lives, women tend to mobilize socialsupport—especially from other women—in times of stress(Taylor & others, 2000b). We saw this pattern in our storyabout Katie. Just as Katie called her mother, Judy, when herneighborhood came under attack, Judy called her sister,Sandy, and her own mother when she feared that her daughter’slife was in danger.Why the gender difference in coping with stress? Health psychologistsShelley Taylor, Laura Klein, and their colleagues (2000,2002) believe that evolutionary theory offers some insight.According to the evolutionary perspective, the most adaptiveresponse in virtually any situation is one that promotes the survivalof both the individual and the individual’s offspring. Giventhat premise, neither fighting nor fleeing is likely to have beenan adaptive response for females, especially females who werepregnant, nursing, or caring for their offspring. According toTaylor and her colleagues (2000), “Stress responses that enabledthe female to simultaneously protect herself and her offspringare likely to have resulted in more surviving offspring.” Ratherthan fighting or fleeing, they argue, women developed a tendand-befriendbehavioral response to stress.What is the “tend-and-befriend” pattern of responding?Tending refers to “quieting and caring for offspring and blendinginto the environment,” Taylor and her colleagues (2000)write. That is, rather than confronting or running from thethreat, females take cover and protect their young. Evidencesupporting this behavior pattern includes studies of nonhumananimals showing that many female animals adopt a “tending”strategy when faced by a threat (Francis & others, 1999; Liu &others, 1997).The “befriending” side of the equation relates to women’stendency to seek social support during stressful situations. Taylorand her colleagues (2000) describe befriending as “the creationof networks of associations that provide resources and protectionfor the female and her offspring under conditions of stress.”However, both males and females show the same neuroendocrineresponses to an acute stressor—the sympathetic nervoussystem activates, stress hormones pour into the bloodstream,and, as those hormones reach different organs, the body kicksinto high gear. So why do women “tend and befriend” ratherthan “fight or flee,” as men do? Taylor points to the effects ofanother hormone, oxytocin. Higher in females than in males,oxytocin is associated with maternal behaviors in all femalemammals, including humans. Oxytocin also tends to have acalming effect on both males and females (see Southwick &others, 2005).Taylor speculates that oxytocin might simultaneously helpcalm stressed females and promote affiliative behavior. Supportingthis speculation is research showing that oxytocin increasesaffiliative behaviors and reduces stress in many mammals (Carter& DeVries, 1999; Light & others, 2000). For example, one studyfound that healthy men who received a dose of oxytocin beforebeing subjected to a stressful procedure were less anxious andhad lower cortisol levels than men who received a placebo(Heinrichs & others, 2003).In humans, oxytocin is highest in nursing mothers. Pleasantphysical contact, such as hugging, cuddling, and touching, stimulatesthe release of oxytocin. In combination, all of theseoxytocin-related changes seem to help turn down the physiologicalintensity of the fight-or-flight response for women. Andperhaps, Taylor and her colleagues suggest, they also promotethe tend-and-befriend response.“I’m somewhere between O. and K.”© 1994 The New Yorker Collectionfrom cartoonbank.com. Edward Koren.Similarly, a study by Barbara Fredrickson and her colleagues (2003) found thatsome college students “looked for the silver lining” after the September 11 terroristattacks, reaching out to others and expressing gratitude for the safety of theirloved ones. Those who found a positive meaning in the aftermath of the attackswere least likely to develop depressive symptoms and other problems in the follow-