Atypical Gender Development And Gender Dysphoria Flashcards
What is Gender Identity Disorder (GID)?
A psychiatric condition where a person feels uncomfortable with the gender assigned to them at birth.
GID is often linked to mental illness and childhood trauma.
What are some social explanations for GID?
Factors such as parental rejection and maladaptive upbringing can contribute to GID.
Coates et al (1989) noted case histories of boys developing GID related to their upbringing.
What environmental factors have been linked to GID?
External factors such as environmental pollution, specifically pesticides like DDT, which contains estrogen, may play a role.
Exposure to high levels of female hormones in males is a concern.
What biological explanations have been proposed for GID?
Mismatches between genetic sex and hormone levels may be involved.
Around 60% of non-GID men with penile amputation have been studied in this context.
What did Stroller (1975) suggest about parental relationships and GID?
GID results from distorted parental attitudes, particularly in mother-son relationships.
Close mother-son relationships may lead to greater identification with the mother.
What role do father-daughter relationships play in GID according to some theories?
Rejection in early childhood may lead a girl to unconsciously think becoming male might gain acceptance from her father.
This suggests a complex relationship between parental dynamics and gender identity.
What neuroscience theory is related to GID?
The theory suggests that GID may be similar to phantom limb syndrome where brain regions associated with body image are miswired.
Research by Vilayaner Ramachandran (2008) supports this idea.
What genetic factors have been identified in relation to GID?
Studies suggest that transsexuals may have a long version of the androgen receptor gene, which affects testosterone action.
This could influence the development of gender identity.
What does the brain-sex theory propose about transsexual brains?
Transsexual brains may differ from their genetic sex, with MTF transsexuals having brain structures similar to females.
Research by Zhou et al. indicates differences in neuron counts in specific brain areas.
How did Zucker et al. (1996) contribute to the understanding of GID?
They studied boys with concerns about their GID and found significant emotional and behavioral issues.
Their research emphasized the complexity of diagnosing GID.
True or False: GID is solely a result of genetic factors.
False.
GID is influenced by a combination of social, biological, and environmental factors.
Fill in the blank: GID may be linked to _______ experiences in childhood.
traumatic
Traumatic experiences can include parental rejection or maladaptive upbringing.
What did Chung et al. challenge regarding the brain-sex theory?
They suggested that differences in BST volume between men and women do not develop until adulthood.
This implies that brain structure may not be the cause of transsexualism.
