To understand the determinants of personality development, one must address the social contexts in which development takes place. The interpersonal interactions that contribute to development (see chapter 7) occur within family systems, work organizations, educational systems, and legal and sociopolitical frameworks. These social contexts partly determine the meaning of any interaction and its contribution to personal development. A period of parent-child separation has a different meaning within a traditional nuclear family system than it does on a kibbutz. An awareness that one's professional competencies are superior to one's peers has different personal implications in economic systems that encourage versus those that limit independent advancement.

In this chapter, then, we consider the social contexts of work, education, and family life, in that order. Since individuals are born into families, attend school, and then enter the work force, it might seem as if we have gotten something backwards. However, the family's work and socioeconomic status can so strongly influence educational opportunities and family conditions that we address the world of work first.

In chapter 6, we reviewed work on biological sex differences. This yielded only a limited view of the differences between women and men. Beliefs about masculinity and femininity are constructed within cultural and sociopolitical contexts that prescribe the meaning of the sexes. In the second half of this chapter, then, we review theory and research on the social construction of gender, and gender differences in personality development.