Theories about psychology have often been proven wrong over the course of time. At one point, Freud and his theories were seen as a revelation. Later on, people gawked at his ideas and moved on to Binet.
Trends come and go over time but what makes a theory important is that it changed the way people looked at the world around them. Belenky and Gardner have both changed the field of psychology by offering a previously unheard of theory. Belenky’s theory that women may think in a different way has changed not just psychology but teaching as well. She presented the idea that women may learn in a more intimate, connected environment.
This can be carried out by having students work in groups rather than individually. Teachers today no longer purely lecture but instead cater to the many different types of learners. Belenky gave women a voice in psychology. She was the first to point out that studies conducted in psychology usually had a male basis and were presented in a way that focused on the man. This came at an important time in history, when women were just beginning to have their own voice outside of the home or even inside of it. Her theory validated the idea that women are different than men.
This carried on to other professional fields where women had previously been excluded sue to their sex. Feminism has been forever altered by Belenky’s work in psychology. She created way for women to express themselves without being ridiculed for being “womanly”. Women have always been seen as being more delicate than men, prone to hysterics in stressful situations, and led by their emotions rather than intellect. Belenky presented a way for women to show that they do think in a valid, organized way.
Even though their though process is not the same, women do have something unique to offer that some men cannot; connectedness.According to Gardner’s theory versus Perry’s theory, men see everything in black in white whereas women have different perspectives. Another important reason why both Belenky and Gardner’s theory matters so much is that it makes you analyze yourself after reading though it. Belenky makes you question which form of thinking you may or may not fall into whether or not you are a man or a woman. Her stages of silent, receiving, subjective, procedural, and constructive thinking all pertain to a person’s life at some point or another.
She makes you evaluate how you are receiving your knowledge and if you are happy with the stage you are at.Howard Gardner’s theory of the seven multiple intelligences allows you to think about your strengths and weaknesses. His theory shows that everyone is important in some way. The primary reason why Gardner’s theory is so incredibly important is that it changed the way intelligence is defined. School assessments such as the SAT and IQ tests are focused almost solely on mathematics and reading skills, which can create an unfair advantage to students.
Also, prior to Gardner, the common thought was that intelligence was genetic and could not change over the course of your life.Gardner presented a theory which said that everyone, not just a select few, has something important to offer the world. Gardner’s theories have had wide, long lasting repercussions in classrooms. Prior to Gardner’s theory, there was a main emphasis on literary and mathematical skills with little regard to any other subject area. His theory states that more than just linguistic and mathematical skills are needed to function well in society. Now in the modern day classroom, a student walks in and is not immediately rendered hopeless if his or her math skills are not up to par.
Not only has the curriculum in schools changed but the form of presenting information has as well. Teachers now aspire to present information that reaches out to all types of learners. For example, while learning about the civil war, the teacher might show battle maps, watch movies, read a novel, sing a song, or even do a play. Garner’s theory not only changed the way teachers think but their actions inside the classroom. There will be other theories that strike the mass population in the future that we cannot even dream about today.
That is what makes theories of psychology such as those from Gardner and Belenky so important; you could not have imagined it before it happened. Prior to Belenky, women did not have a voice in psychology or in any other academic field for that matter. She made people finally see women as a separate entity not linked to a man. Gardner evened the playing field with his theory.
He pointed out the not so obvious idea that there is more than one way to be intelligent. Now, kids across schools in the United States are gaining from the consequences.
