Atypical gender development Flashcards
what is gender dysphoria
when a person’s biological sex doesn’t match with the gender they feel they are
what is the consequence of gender dysphoria
causes stress and discomfort, as listed in the DSM-5
what’re the main theories of the biological explanation for atypical gender development
brain sex theory
genetic factors
what is brain sex theory
gender dysphoria is caused by specific brain areas they’re incompatible with a persons biological sex.
especially true in dimorphic brain areas
what is a dimorphic brain area
an area in the brain that is different in males and females
what is research into dimorphic areas
- studied the BST (bed nucleus of the stria terminalis) typically 40% larger in typical males than females and is fully developed by 5y/o
- looked at 6 male-to-female individuals and found their BST was the size of a biological female (40% smaller)
what was alternative research into the BST
- focused on the number of neurons rather than the size
- found that the 6 male-female trans individuals had a neuron density the same as that of a typical biological female
- suggests the origins of GID/GD to have a biological basis, within the dimorphic brain areas
what is earlier evidence into GID’s genetic basis
- Coolidge assessed 157 twin pairs (96MZ 61DZ) for evidence of GID
- found that 62% of the variance could be accounted for by genetic factors (38% environmental) - suggesting a strong heritable component to gender dysphoria
what is later evidence into the origins of GID
- Hayden’s compared 23MZ twins with 21DZ twins where one of each pair had been diagnosed with GD
- found 39% of MZ twins were concordant for GD compared to 0% of the DZ twins
- suggests a strong heritable component to gender dysphoria
whatre the evaluations for the biological explanation of GD
- BST size change measurement errors
+ white matter
how is the BST size change measurement error a limitation of the biological explanation of GD
- may be that BST doesn’t cause GD
- in studies by Zhou and Kruijver the brain was scanned post-mortem, after the hormone therapy, unable to tell if the size change pre-existed
- other studies used MRI scans whilst individuals took hormone treatments and found that the treatment changed the BST size significantly
- limitation as it suggests that BST differences may have been an effect of hormone therapy, rather than the GD cause
how is white matter a strength of the biological explanation of GD
- other brain areas may be associated with GD
- Rametti studied white matter (/‘other dimorphic area), analysing both male and female transgender individuals before hormone treatment
- found that mostly the amount/distribution of white matter corresponded with the gender the individuals identified as (not bio sex)
- strength as it suggests that there are early differences in the brains of transgender individuals
what’re 2 social explanations for GD
social constructionism
psychoanalytic theory
what is social construction
- argues that gender concepts are ‘invented’ by societies
- explains GD as ‘confusion’ arises because society forces people to be either a man or a woman - must pick a side to act accordingly
- means that GD is neither biological in origin nor should it be a pathological condition, it occurs due to the forcing of society
what was McClintock’s study supporting social constructionism into he case of kwolu-aatmwol
- studies individuals in the Sambia of New Guinea, causing some biological males to be categorised as girls at birth
- testosterone causes the testes to descend and the clitoris enlarges into a penis
- common in Sambia, routinely accepted that some people are men, some women, and others kwolu-aatmwol (females-then-males)
what is the impact of the West on the kwolu-aatmwol
kwolu-aatmwol now judged as having a pathological form of GD, they’re seen as abnormal rather than normal
what is the idea of Psychoanalytic theory by Ovesey & Person
- argues that GID in males is caused by the child experiencing extreme separation anxiety before gender identity is established
- the child fantasises of a symbiotic fusion with his mother (bring so close that they’re like one person)
- would then remove the chance of being taken away and thus reduce the anxiety around separation
what’re findings into psychoanalytic theory
- found that bio males with GD displayed overly close relationships with their mother
- suggests that this led to stronger female identification and therefore long/-term conflicted gender identity
what’re 2 evaluations for social explanations
+ social constructionism support
- psychoanalytic issues
what is a support for social constructionism as an explanation for GD
- one support is evidence from cultures with more than 1 gender
- in cultures such as Samoa there is male, female and fa’afafine which is a 3rd gender
- the fa’afafine are biological males who adopt the tradition gender role of women
- this challenges traditional binary classifications of males and females
- the fact that increasing people now identify as ‘non-binary’ suggests that cultural understanding is only now starting to ‘catch up’ with the loved experience of many
- suggests that GD and gender identity is best seen as a social construction rather than biological fact
what is a limitation of the psychoanalytic explanation of GD
- ovesey & person’s explanation doesn’t give an account for female-male individuals, only male-female (males)
- Rekers’ evidence suggests that gender disturbance in males is more likely to be associated with the fathers absence rather than fear of separation from the mother
- ‘separation anxiety’ is very hard to test as the fantasies and focus on the mother are thought happen at an unconscious level - therefore very subjective explanation and difficult to prove/test scientifically
- suggests that the psychoanalytic theory doesn’t provide a comprehensive account of GD
