Ooooh, I’ve been missing out on THIS one:
Sycorax:
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Tell me you were joking on this one. Do words like jerk, a$$h0le, c&%$sucker, mother&%$#er, etc come to mind at all. If you are gonna tell me women don't use derogatory words for men, you are about to lose ALL credibility with me.
I can discuss a bit about the scientific literature on PMS (being in psychology I actually have come across some of this stuff). The symptoms of PMS, which occur in some but not all women include cramps, irritation, bloating, discomfort. the hormones involved do not have a direct action on mood. Women who experience mood symptoms typically 1.) are becoming irritable due to the physical symptoms (who wouldn't) or 2.) have expectancy effects about that relative time of the month...in other words they might expect to be in a bad mood, thus you are. You don't need to necessarily be consciously aware of this happening, but as the time approaches you just notice your mood declining. At any rate there is nothing about the hormonal changes that FORCES a woman to change her behavior. As far as the PMS defense in crime, this was started by a researcher named Dalton, who notices some female criminals committed crimes around their menstruation. However, Dalton's studies have been severely criticized for poor methodology, and making unwarranted inferences. No one in psychology takes these types of theories very seriously anymore, and they have not borne up to replication. In the US, such defenses are typically not accepted by juries, but as one poster noted, unfortunately in the UK, sometimes they are (the UK is notoriously behind the times in understanding female crime...you also can not go to jail for killing your infant in the UK, as they assume you are mentally ill...again in stark contrast to the research literature). As far as post-partum depression/psychosis goes, though such things do happen, as noted in a recent article by Overpeck et al. in New England Journal of Medicine, most of the cases of child abuse/infanticide by women (which account for 80% of ALL cases of infanticide) do not involve post-partum illnesses, but rather 1.) an unwanted child, 2.) child abuse taken to homicide 3.) desire to get revenge at the father.
Sorry went a bit off topic, but I find this stuff fascinating. At any rate the point is is that such things as mental illness/PMS/post-partum this or that are used to explain the dark side of female behavior, because many of us still subscribe to the Victorian Madonna-Whore philosophy which suggests that women could not CHOOSE to engage in aggressive/amoral behavior because they are morally pure. thus is a woman is "bitchy" it could not possibly because she has that side to her personality, must be some lapse of reason on her part. I, personally, find this perspective to be naive, and downright insulting to women.
this is also a product of our society which seeks to absolve anyone of personal blame...thus we have syndromes for any bad behavior. Drink too much and lose your job, you're a victim, you're an alcoholic. Not good at school, you're a victim, you've got ADHD (as a disclaimer there ARE legitimate cases of ADHD, but this disorder is WAY overdiagnosed). Kill your husband for the insurance money, don't go to jail, just say you're a victim, you've got Battered Wife Syndrome (again, disclaimer, there are some legitimate cases of self-defense, but these are usually qualitatively different from the women who kill for other reasons...nonetheless they almost always claim self-defense, and thankfully are usually disproved in this claim).
Surgoshan:
You bring up some interesting points on domestic violence. If you look into the literature (Straus and Gelles, 1986; Steinmetz, 1977, etc.) you will see that indeed women DO commit equal amounts of domestic violence as men, and actually are more likely to use clubs, knives, etc...to balance out the strength differential. And yes men do not report it because they are embarrassed.
StompyGodzilla:
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~~~Like a lot of the posters, I'll suddenly find myself all weepy and insecure and not realise why until I look at the calender. Over the years, though, I've learned to use it as a sort of monthly catharsis. I'm overly driven and focused the rest of the month, working my a** off and burying my feelings about things -- so for these three or four days, my emotions hijack the plane and demand attention. I have a few good cries, let my feelings out ... it's probably quite healthy, though not necessarily delightful for my spouse.
Love the name. this sounds like the "expectancy" I was talking about. The event itself takes on a meaning for you all of its own.
lologranola:
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~~~And I am weird because I don't get PMS (or cramps or anything else normally associated with that time of the month) or is it fairly common not to have any side effects?
Don't listen to divemaster. :) Yes it is normal not to get ANY symptoms. Again, PMS symptoms seem to vary widely in women.