Gender Is the Name of the Frame: Understanding Gender through the Lens of Relational Frame Theory

Lynn Farrell (), Táhcita M. Mizael and Evelyn R. Gould
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Lynn Farrell: Department of Psychology, School of Business, National College of Ireland, D01 K6W2 Dublin, Ireland
Táhcita M. Mizael: UniSA Justice & Society, University of South Australia, Adelaide 5072, Australia
Evelyn R. Gould: New England Center for OCD and Anxiety, Melrose, MA 02176, USA

Social Sciences, 2023, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-27

Abstract: While researchers continue to develop their understanding of gender as a complex and multifaceted concept, the detrimental impact of gender-related inequity and social injustice persists. This conceptual paper describes the potential benefits of incorporating Relational Frame Theory (RFT) as a contextual and pragmatic approach to gender. An RFT lens might enhance our understanding of gender as a language-based phenomenon, involving patterns of derived relational responding and rule-governed behavior. Such an understanding might then facilitate the development of assessments and context-sensitive interventions that support flexible and expansive experiences of gender that promote thriving. Despite the potential utility of an RFT approach, RFT has rarely been applied to gender-related concerns. This paper aims to provide a starting point for exploring gender from an RFT perspective, highlight relevant RFT studies, acknowledge limitations of current lines of research, and provide recommendations regarding future research. We hope that the paper will also act as a call to action for contextual behavioral scientists, as well as demonstrate how an RFT perspective might both align with, as well as add to, existing perspectives from other disciplines.

Keywords: gender; relational frame theory; behavior analysis; equity; diversity; inclusion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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