Explain the cognitive developmental and gender schema theories of gender development that offer the intriguing idea that children willingly socialize themselves to be masculine or feminine.

The cognitive developmental theory of gender development, proposed by Lawrence Kohlberg, suggests that children actively seek to understand and categorize their own gender and the gender roles and expectations of their society. According to this theory, children go through stages of gender understanding, starting with a basic awareness of their own gender, followed by a rigid understanding of gender roles, and eventually developing a more flexible and nuanced understanding of gender.

On the other hand, the gender schema theory, proposed by Sandra Bem, suggests that children develop gender schemas, or mental frameworks, that guide their understanding of what it means to be masculine or feminine. These schemas are influenced by the messages and cues they receive from their environment, including media, family, and peers. Children then actively seek out and internalize information that aligns with their gender schema, reinforcing their own gender identity and behavior.

Both of these theories offer the intriguing idea that children willingly socialize themselves to be masculine or feminine by actively seeking out and internalizing information and behaviors that align with their understanding of their gender. This challenges the traditional view that gender socialization is primarily a passive process influenced solely by external factors. Instead, these theories suggest that children play an active role in shaping their own gender identity and behavior based on their cognitive development and gender schemas.