Atypical Gender Development: Gender Dysphoria Flashcards
What is gender dysphoria
Characterised by strong, persistent feelings of identification with the opposite gender and discomfort with one’s own assigned sex, desire to live as members of the opposite sex and often dress and use mannerisms associated with the opposite gender
What does DSM-5 outline gender dysphoria as
When there is a marked difference between the individuals expressed gender and the gender others would assign to them which must continue for at least six months. Must cause significant distress in social, occupational or other important areas of functioning. Specifically excludes intersex conditions that have recognised bio basis eg Klinefelters
What are dimorphic areas of the brain
Brain areas which take a different form in males and females
What is the brain sex theory and research support for this
Suggests GD is caused by specific brain structures that are incompatible with a persons biological sex esp areas that are dimorphic
-Ning Zhou studied the BSTc which is assumed to be 40% larger in males, post mortem studies of 6 male-to-female transgender individuals found the BSTc was similar size to that of typical female brain and also had neurone number in female range
Research to support genetic basis of GD
Heylens compared MZ and DZ twins where one of each pair was diagnosed with GD, found 39% of MZ twins concordant for GD compared to none of the DZs which indicates a role for genetic factors in development of GD
What are social-psychological explanations of GD based on
Freudian theory and insights from cognitive psychology
What is the psychoanalytic theory of GD
Ovesey and Person argued GD in biological males is caused by child experiencing extreme separation anxiety before gender identity has been established, child fantasies of a symbiotic fusion with their mother to relieve the anxiety and danger of separation is removed, consequence is child becomes the mother and thus adopts female gender identity
Research support for psychoanalytic theory
Stoller reports that in interviews with GD biological males, they were seen to display overly close relationships with their mothers that would lead to greater female identification and atypical gender identity in the long term
What is cognitive explanation for GD
Liben and Bigler proposed extension of gender scheme theory that emphasises individual difs in gender identity
-suggests two pathways of gender development (dual pathway theory), first pathway acknowledges development of gender schema which then direct appropriate attitudes and behaviour as part of normal development
-second personal pathway describes how child’s gender attitudes are affected by their activity, individuals personal interests may becomes more dominant than the gender identity and these influence the gender schema (eg boy who finds himself in a situation where he plays with dolls may come to believe playing with dolls is for boys and girls) —leading to development of non sex-typed schema
What does development of non sex-typed schema lead to in most and the minority
In most may lead to androgynous behaviour and a more flexible attitude to gender, in a small minority may lead to the eventual formation of an opposite gender identity
What is hormone explanation for GD
Unusual levels of androgen hormone exposure in womb to female foetus
Why is psychoanalytical theory nature and nurture
Must be certain age to identity with mother but also considers early experiences
Why is cognitive explanation nature and nurture
Schemas present at birth but develop through experiences so can develop non sex-typed schemas
Expand on limitation that there is contradictory evidence for BSTc
-it is claimed that the BSTc is fully formed at age 5 so any hormone treatment transgender indivisos may undergo as part of gender reassignment surgery should not have a bearing on the BSTc
-assumption has been challenged by research that found transgender hormone therapy did affect the size of the BSTc so any observed difs may be due to this rather than GD
-also Chung claimed difs in BSTc volume between males and females do not emerge until adulthood whereas most people who experience GD experience their feelings of GD in early childhood
-suggests difs in BSTc could be possible effect of GD rather than cause
Expand on limitation that twin studies are inconclusive
-concordance rate 39% for MZ twins which is not 100% meaning there are factors other than genetics that influence development of GD
-also difficult to separate the influence of nature and nurture within these investigations as twins may influence each other and the environmental conditions they are exposed to are likely to be very similar
-due to the fact that GD occurs so rarely sample sizes in twin studies tend to be extremely small which limits the extent to which effective generalisations can be made
-twin studies may tell us little about the genetic component of GD
Expand on limitation that biological explanations are an oversimplification
-criticised for their tendency to reduce complex conditions and behaviours to a simpler genetic, neuroanatomical/hormone level
-danger that other contributory factors occurring at a ‘higher’ psychological/social level may be obscured or ignored
-interactionist combination of several dif levels of explanation may be more relevant especially in GD which is unlikely to be explained by a single influence
Expand on strength of psychoanalytic theory that there is research support
-Zuker interviewed the mothers of 115 M to F children assessing levels of separating anxiety
-found children who met the full criteria for GD were significantly more likely to have experienced separation anxiety disorder
-concluded development of atypical gender identity is associated with the early interactional relationship between mothers and sons
H: correlation not causation, may have lied due to SDB, researcher bias
Expand on limitation of psychoanalytic theory that it does not provide an adequate account for GD in females
-based his theory on males and applied results to females which is a form of beta bias
-does not give us a true understanding of the development of GD in females meaning theory cannot be generalised
Expand on limitation that cognitive explanation is descriptive rather than explanatory
-very little explanation of why a child may become interested in activities that are not consistent with its own sex or how such activities bring about the development of non sex-typed schema
-simply describes the effects of gender dysphoria without providing info on its possible causes unlike other explanations such as psychoanalytic
