Atypical Gender Development Flashcards
Define gender dysphoria
Mismatch between biological sex and the gender they feel they are
Explain what research into brain sex theory has found to do with gender dysphoria
Gender dysphoria to do with brain structure at birth.
For example, BST female sized in transgender females. (Kruijever et al)
What does BST stand for?
Bed nucleus of stria terminalis
Describe what Coolidge et al found about how genetics can influence Gender dysphoria
157 twin pairs and found 62% variance could be accounted for by genetic factors which Indicates a heritable component of GD.
What did Heylens et al find about genetic factors and GD?
39% of MZ twins concordat for gender
Describe one limitation of biological explanations of GD (AO3)
Hulshalf Pol et al: used MRI’s taken during hormonal treatment which showed how the BST changed over time indicating there are differences in BST are due to treatment
Zhou et al: post mortem after trans individuals undergone hormonal therapy which indicated differences in BST due to hormonal therapy
Explain how other brain differences support biological ideas of GD (AO3)
Rametti et al: white matter difference between male and female brains
Found the amount of white matter in childhood of GD people corresponds with sex identified as
Explain how GD may be socially constructed
Gender is invented by societies
Gender confusion occurs because forced to select a gender, social not pathological
Describe what Oversey and Person found when investigating GD (psychoanalytical theory)
Male gender dysphoria due to extreme separation anxiety, symbiotic fusion and desire to be with his mother
Describe the support for social explanations of GD (AO3)
Not all cultures have one gender eg. Fa’Faffine of Samoa. This challenges traditional binary classification of male and female.
Increases in the number of non binary —> cultural understanding catching up with lived experience
Describe the limitation of psychoanalytical theory of GD (AO3)
Rekers: GD in those assigned male at birth more likely due to absence of father than fear of separation from the mother. This suggests this theory does not provide a comprehensive account of GD
