It is generally believed that children are more creative than adults due to their creative abilities being untainted by cultural expectations and norms. But what factors in a child’s development taints their creativity and exposes them to gender role assignments? According to week nine’s readings on gender and creativity, creativity in developing children can be influenced and shaped by hormonals differences in both genders, as well as exposure to gender-based discrimination. As children develop into their respective genders and with exposure to gender norms, their cognitive processes changes; they start to perceive, learn, think and behave differently. As their cognitive processes change, …show more content…
Females generally mature faster than men and are therefore exposed to cultural pressures earlier than males. Nonetheless hormonal changes marking the beginning of adolescence is met by beginning interests in political, social and philosophical issues in children. Testosterone, the dominant hormone is males affects the thinking process of a developing child by raising aggressiveness and competitiveness, hereby directing the male child towards more competitive creative interests and away from noncompetitive interests. On the other hand, the female developing child is met by a rise in the estrogen hormone levels; a hormone widely known for its influence on emotions. As developing children hit puberty, the drive for creativity changes; for males it’s the motivation to be successfully competitive and for females’ creativity is driven by mood changes and emotional intensities. At this point in the developmental stage, the creative freedom of a child diminishes as new factors (hormonal changes) are introduced that change the defined creative process established in