Do boys and girls absorb their differing behavior from parental and social influence, or are there traits and attitudes hardwired into our genes? Could a boy or girl raised in an appropriate environment adopt a personality that we normally associate with the other sex"

In her article "Boys and Girls: Anatomy and Destiny" Judith Viorst discusses various theories concerning the differences between girls and boys, men and women. Current studies indicate that parental influence begins immediately after birth, so Viorst asks the question, "Is there an inborn male or female psychology"" By quoting Freud's now bizarre opinions on female defectiveness, then laying out the results of modern studies, Viorst creates an effective contrast. Current ideas on gender identity are considerably different from older viewpoints that treated socially mandated behavior as inherent to the natural order.

In her summary of the contents of the book "The Psychology of Sex...