In contrast to Fleckenstein's social argument, Flynn takes more of a psychological approach to the differences between how men and women develop language through their separate experiences which, in turn, influence how they write. She claims that women are programmed from birth to identify with their mothers, while men are eventually denied this association, and therefore their "identification processes stress differentiation from others" (Chodorow, 176). Thus their experiences are entirely different, a facts that results in the seemingly black and white differences between men and women.
Examples, hooray! After reading Fleckenstein's article, I appreciated the fact that Flynn presents examples from students' prose to back up her claims of how differences in men and women's experiences are reflected in their thinking and writing processes.
As straightforward and accessible as Flynn's article was, I don't feel like I learned anything that I didn't already know. Yes, we are brought up with gendered identities, and we assume these roles in our lives and our writing styles. Yes, it is important to inform and encourage male and female students alike about these differences and to put them in social and psychological contexts. For me, though, I don't believe she presented any sort of revolutionary ideas about where the problems originated and how to call attention to them in the classroom.
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