Carl Rogers viewed the self as the most important part of a person's world. His innovative therapy was designed to increase self-esteem by reducing the discrepancy between the real self and the ideal self. When people or things are labeled as masculine or feminine, gender typing has occurred. Whenever children gain the knowledge that their gender is unchanging, they have acquired gender identity . While gender identity usually corresponds to a person's biological sex, it does not always.
Gender identity is a self-perception influenced by culture and history.
Sandra Bem's pioneering research into the relationship of our sense of masculinity and femininity led to the development of the Bem Sex Role Inventory . Much recent research has attempted to prove or disprove this proposal. A significant amount of recent research has investigated differences in abilities and social behavior between males and females. When differences are found a rigorous debate often emerges as to whether a difference is the result of socialization, a biological process, or a combination of the two. Some consensus has emerged that males are more aggressive than females, but paradoxically also more likely to help a stranger in distress.