3.8 Atypical Gender Development

Question 1

What is gender dysphoria?

Answer 1

Chronic distress due to perception of sex and gender mismatch - excluding intersex because they are biologically verifiable

Question 2

What is an example of cultural bias for atypical development?

Answer 2

Samoan culture has 3 genders and they aren’t at increased risk of any psychological disorder

Question 3

What did Hares study find about a possible transexual gene?

Answer 3

Studied MtF transexuals DNA

Androgen receptor gene was significantly longer in transexuals

Question 4

What is the effect of a longer androgen receptor gene?

Answer 4

reduces ability of testosterone to cause changes in development

Question 5

How does a longer androgen receptor gene affect the brain?

Answer 5

brain may be much less masculine if threshold for masculine development is never reached
(because of reduced effect of testosterone on development)

Question 6

What is a MtF transexuals brain like according to brain-sex theory?

Answer 6

The BSTc is smaller in transexuals (also in cis females)

Question 7

What is a FtM tansexuals brain like according to brain-sex theory?

Answer 7

The BSTc is usually within typical cis male range

Question 8

How does phantom limb syndrome affect FtM transexuals (what percentage affected)?

Answer 8

Feel a phantom penis including phantom erections

Experienced by 2/3 of FtM transexuals

Question 9

How do Ramachandram and McGeoch explain phantom limbs in transexuals?

Answer 9

Sex organs have specific hard wired brain locations
If wiring is disrupted or developed atypically (eg. low fetal testosterone activity)
Genitals can be disrupted in opposite way to persons sex

Question 10

How does phantom limb syndrome affect MtF transexuals?

Answer 10

Feel they should not have a penis

Question 11

What is an example of a pesticide which affects gender development?

Answer 11

DDT - an insecticide containing oestrogen

Question 12

How does DDT affect gender development?

Answer 12

Oestrogen in it can get into the human blood stream of pregnant women
which can cause boys who had increased oestrogen exposure in the womb
to express more feminine characteristics

Question 13

What are the social explanations of GID?

Answer 13

Mental illness (childhood trauma)
Mother-son relationships
Father-daughter relationships

Question 14

What the biological explanations of GID?

Answer 14

Transsexual gene
The brain-sex theory
Phantom limb and cross-wiring
Environmental effects of pesticides

Question 15

What happened in the case study that showed how childhood trauma and mental illness affects gender development?

Answer 15

Coates et al

• Mother had abortion during boys gender stability stage
• the mother became depressed - the boy witnessed it
• boy developed gender dysphoria to understand mother and become more like her as a defence mechanism (freud)

Question 16

How do mother son relationships affect gender development?

Answer 16

• Boys with dysphoria had very close relationships with mother with blurred boundaries
• Boys could have over identified with mother
• Identification with wrong role model led to confused identity

Question 17

How do father daughter relationships affect gender development?

Answer 17

• Dysphoric girls were usually rejected by fathers
• Resulting in over-identification with father
• Increased imitation of male behaviours lead to confused identity

Question 18

What is a criticism of the brain-sex theory?

Answer 18

Chung et al
found that the BSTc volume difference between men and women developed in adulthood
but most transexuals report dysphoria in early childhood

Question 19

What is support for the brain-sex theory?

Answer 19

Rametti et al
Found that FtM brains before hormone therapy had similar white matter pattern to their gender identity than their biological sex

Question 20

What is support for cross-wiring?

Answer 20

Cis-gender individuals more likely to experience phantom sensation when penis/breasts are removed than transsexuals

Question 21

What are the support of social explanations?

Answer 21

High levels of separation anxiety in MtF individuals and of over emotional involvement

Question 22

What is a criticism of biological explanations of GID?

Answer 22

Socially sensitive research - may make people more accepting of transexuals but may make them wrongly believe that is is inevitable