The Essential Difference: The Truth About The Male And Female BrainWe all appreciate that there are differences in the typical psychology of men and women. Yet underlying these subtle differences, Simon Baron-Cohen believes, there is one essential difference, and it affects everything we do: Men have a tendency to analyze and construct systems while women are inclined to empathize. With fresh evidence for these claims, Baron-Cohen explores how these sex differences arise more from biological than cultural causes and shows us how each brain type contributes in various ways to what we think of as "intelligence." Emphasizing that not all men have the typically "male" brain, which he calls Type "S," and not all women have the typically female brain (Type "E"), Baron-Cohen explores the cutting-edge research that illuminates our individual differences and explains why a truly "balanced" brain is so rare. Filled with surprising and illuminating case studies, many from Baron-Cohen's own clinical practice, The Essential Difference moves beyond the stereotypes to elucidate over twenty years of groundbreaking research. From gossip to aggression, Baron-Cohen dissects each brain type and even presents a new theory that autism (as well as its close relative, Asperger's syndrome) can be understood as an extreme form of the male brain. Smart and engaging, this is the thinking person's guide to gender difference, a book that promises to change the conversation about-and between-men and women. |
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LibraryThing Review
User Review - ThePinesLibrary - LibraryThingThis ground-breaking and controversial study reveals the scientific evidence (present even in one-day-old babies) which proves that female-type brains are better at empathizing and communicating ... Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - jwrudn - LibraryThingThat rare scientifically fascinating book for the non scientist. Thought provoking. Will change the way you think about men and women. A Men are from Mars, Women from Venus for intelligent readers. Read full review
Contents
Boy Meets Girl | 13 |
The Evidence | 29 |
What Is Systemizing? | 61 |
Copyright | |
10 other sections not shown
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ability activity adults affect aggression agree agree disagree agree disagree disagree animal asked autism average Baron-Cohen become behavior better boys called cause Chapter child cognitive communication detail Development emotional empathizing evidence example extreme face fact feel female brain friends girls give hemisphere higher human individuals input interest involves Journal kind language lead less levels look lower male brain math mathematical mean mind mother natural normal object operation output parents pattern person physics play predict Psychology relation relationships result rules score seen sex differences simply skills slightly slightly strongly slightly strongly agree social societies someone spatial strongly agree agree strongly slightly slightly studies suggests superior systemizing talk task tell tend testosterone theory things thought tion understand women young
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Essential Difference: The Truth About The Male And Female Brain |
| Author | Simon Baron-Cohen |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint |
| Publisher | Basic Books, 2003 |
| ISBN | 0738208442, 9780738208442 |
| Length | 288 pages |
| Subjects | › Psychology / General |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |