As soon as we found Tina, my wife started to explain to me what it is like growing up as a girl. The socialization does often mold the thinking, and unlike what many people erroneously believe, the brain functions of men and women have been mapped and they are NOT the same. There are fundamental wiring differences.
However...to try to answer Lorileah's question...yes, I do think all people can learn about how the other gender approaches life/problems/relationships. In fact, I have come to believe that crossing the gender boundries is nothing but beneficial when trying to understand the other gender, whichever direction. Often the differences are subtle, but there are differences.
For example, how many men will immediately assume that if a difficulty has arisen, the correct mode of action is to solve the problem asap and move on. My wife explains to me that women will often NOT want to solve the problem, but will wish to talk about it. Many men would consider this a total waste of time and get incredibly frustrated while considering the re-covering of old ground a waste. Knowing that the two genders may be coming at the issues from this two very different directions can be enlightening.
I still note that many men claim that it is not possible to understand how women think. Well, that's not true of course, but it points out that there are differences. Thiese differences can be understood and learned. I completely believe that those of us who attempt to understand how the other gender is mentally wired can do nothing but good for humanity.
just my :2c:
tina
