Brain StormJordan-Young has written a stunning book that demolishes most of the science associated with the dominant paradigm of the development of sex and gender identity, behavior, and orientation. The current paradigm, brain organization theory, proposes: "Because of early exposure to different sex hormones, males and females have different brains"; and these hormones also create "gay" and "straight" brains. Jordan-Young interviewed virtually every major researcher in the field and reviewed hundreds of published scientific papers. Her conclusion: "Brain organization theory is little more than an elaboration of longstanding folk tales about antagonistic male and female essences and how they connect to antagonistic male and female natures." She explains, in exquisite detail, the flaws in the underlying science, from experimental designs that make no statistical sense to "conceptually sloppy" definitions of male and female sexuality, contradictory results, and the social construction of normality. Her conclusion that the patterns we see are far more complicated than previously believed and due to a wider range of variables will shake up the research community and alter public perception. |
What people are saying - Write a review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - quantum_flapdoodle - LibraryThingA painstaking look at the current state of brain science, and particularly brain organization theory, which states basically that our brains are organized to make us "female" or "male", and that women ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - Devil_llama - LibraryThingA painstaking look at the current state of brain science, and particularly brain organization theory, which states basically that our brains are organized to make us "female" or "male", and that women ... Read full review
Contents
Sexual Brains and Body Politics | 1 |
Hormones and Hardwiring | 21 |
Making Sense of Brain Organization Studies | 41 |
Thirteen Ways of Looking at Brain Organization | 65 |
Working Backward from Distinct Groups | 91 |
Masculine and Feminine Sexuality | 109 |
Sexual Orienteering | 144 |
SexTyped Interests | 198 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
adult aggression androgen exposures animals arousal Baron-Cohen Berenbaum biological bisexual boys brain organization research brain organization studies brain organization theory Chapter cognitive cohort studies colleagues Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia correlated digit ratio domain Dörner early hormone exposures effects Ehrhardt especially estrogen evidence example experiments Fausto-Sterling female-typical feminine sexuality feminized fetal findings gender identity gender role genetic males genitals girls with CAH handedness heterosexual Hines homosexual human sexuality hypothesis idea important intersex John Money lesbians levels male-typical males and females masculine masculine and feminine masturbation measures Meyer-Bahlburg mones Money normal one’s partners pattern percent preference prenatal androgens prenatal stress progestins progestogens psychological psychosexual reared relationship same-sex samples scientific scientists scores sex differences sex-typed interests sexual behavior sexual differentiation sexual orientation social spatial specific suggest testosterone tion toys traits transsexuals variables versus vervets women with CAH
Bibliographic information
| Title | Brain Storm |
| Author | Rebecca M. Jordan-Young |
| Edition | illustrated |
| Publisher | Harvard University Press, 2010 |
| ISBN | 0674057309, 9780674057302 |
| Length | 394 pages |
| Subjects | › › Science / Life Sciences / Developmental Biology Science / Life Sciences / Human Anatomy & Physiology Science / Life Sciences / Neuroscience Science / Research & Methodology Social Science / Gender Studies |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |