Gender- (Atypical gender development)

• What is gender dysphoria?


  A mismatch between an individual’s biological sex and their gender identity
• Gender dysphoria İs a source of stress and discomfort so recognized as a psychological disorder in DSM-5
• What does DSM-5 exclude in categorization of gender dysphoria?


  Intersex conditions e.g. Klinefelter’s condition and CAH proven to have a biological basis
• Gender dysphoria may be subject to biological influences

  True or False

  True
• What are the 2 types of explanations for atypical gender development?

  Biological explanations

  Social explanations
• What does the biological explanations of atypical gender development involve?

  • Brain sex theory
  • Genetic factors
• What does the social explanations of atypical gender development involve?

  • Social constructionism
  • Psychoanalytic theory
• Expand on the brain sex theory as a biological explanation for atypical gender development

  • Suggests GD has a basis in brain structure - bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST)
  • Involved in emotional responses & male sexual behaviour in males
  • Krujiver - this area is larger in males & found to be female sized in transgender females
  • Suggests people with GD have BST size of the gender they identify with
• What does the dimorphism in the BST fit with?

  Reports by transgenders that from early childhood they feel they were born with the wrong sex
• Who found that the BTS is larger in males than women and are female sized in transgender females?

  Krujiver
• Expand on the genetic factors as a biological explanation for atypical gender development

  • Research on the role of genetic factors in GD development
  • Coolidge - Searching for evidence of GD in 157 twin pairs, found 62% of the variance could be accounted for by genetic factors
  • Suggests strong heritable component to GD
  • Heylens - 23 MZ & 21 DZ twins - one of each pair was diagnosed with GD
  • 0 DZ twins were concordant for GD
  • 9 MZ twins were concordant for GD
• Who assessed 157 twin pairs and found 62% of the variance could be accounted for by genetic factors?

  Coolidge
• Who compared 23 MZ & 21 DZ twins and found 9 of the MZ twins were concordant while none of the DZ twins were?

  Heylens
• Expand on social constructionism as a social explanation for atypical gender development

  • Argues gender identity and concepts are invented by societies
  • In GD ‘confusion’ arises because society forces people to be a man or woman
  • So it’s a social phenomenon
  • McClintock cites cases in Sambia in New Guinea - biological males have labia and clitoris at birth. In puberty their testes descend and they develop a penis
  • This genetic variation is common in Sambia and was accepted as females-then-males
  • But after exposure to other cultures they’re now judged as having a form of GD
• In the social constructionism as a social explanation of atypical gender development who cited the case of attitudes towards females-then-males in Sambia in New Guinea after exposure to other cultures?

  McClintock
• Expand on the psychoanalytic theory as a social explanation of gender development

  • Ovesey & Person emphasise social relationships within the family as the cause of GD
  • Argue GD in bio males is because of extreme separation anxiety before gender identity was established
  • Boy fantasies symbiotic fusion with mother to relieve anxiety
  • So the boy becomes the mother and adopts a woman’s gender identity
  • Research support for theory (Stoller) : In interviews GD bio males displayed overly close rs with mothers - stronger female identification
• In the psychoanalytic theory who emphasises social relationships within the family are the cause of GD?

  Ovesey & Person
• In the psychoanalytic theory who provides research support for GD biological males having close relationships with their mothers - stronger female identification?


  Stoller
• What are the evaluation points for biological explanations of atypical gender development?

  • Strength : other brain differences are associated with GD
  • Rametti studied white matter (sexually dimorphic)- found regional differences in proportion of white matter in males & females
  • Analysed transgender brains before hormone treatment - distribution corresponded more closely to gender
  • Strength/Limitation : Socially-sensitive research
  • Relief knowing there is a biological basis to their GD - removes responsibility & guilt
  • Others object to mental disorder label as it stigmatizes those subject to it
• What are the evaluation points for social explanations of atypical gender development?

  • Strength : Social constructionism considers not every culture has 2 genders
  • Challenge to traditional binary classifications. Increasing number of ‘non-binary’ suggests cultural understanding is catching up with lived experience of some
  • Gender identity = social construct not bio fact
  • Limitation : Psychoanalytic theory fails to explain GD in biological females - only applies to transgender women
  • Rekers found GD in bio males likely to be associated with absence of father not fear of separation from mother