atypical gender development

• What is gender dysphoria?

  A mismatch between biological sex and identity
• How do clinicians diagnose gender dysphoria?

  Using the DSM to match symptoms
• What is the Brain Sex Theory regarding gender dysphoria?

  • Gender dysphoria caused by incompatible brain structures
  • Focus on dimorphic areas like BSTC
  • Size of BSTC linked to gender dysphoria
• What did Zhou and Kruijer find in their research on transgender individuals?

  Neurons in BST similar to non-transgender females
• What did Heylens' study suggest about genetic factors in gender dysphoria?

  MZ twins show higher concordance than DZ twins
• What are the limitations of twin studies in gender dysphoria research?

  • Inconclusive results regarding genetic influence
  • MZ rates not 100% indicate other factors
  • Suggests nurture may play a role
• What is a criticism of biological explanations of gender dysphoria?

  They are reductionist and ignore environmental influences
• What do social psychological explanations of gender dysphoria emphasize?

  • Social relationships within the family
  • Extreme separation anxiety in biological males
  • Fantasies of fusion with the mother
• What is a limitation of psychodynamic explanations of gender dysphoria?

  They are gender biased and androcentric
• Why is the concept of separation anxiety difficult to test in gender dysphoria research?

  It relies on retrospective data and correlation
• What is a criticism of the psychodynamic theory of gender dysphoria?

  It suffers from psychic determinism and oversimplification
• What does SLT stand for in learning explanations of gender?

  Social Learning Theory
• How does a lack of same-sex role models affect a child's gender development?

  It may lead to gender confusion and atypical development
• What is the role of operant conditioning in gender behavior?

  It rewards opposite gender behavior through reinforcement
• What are the key points in the evaluation of learning explanations of gender?

  • Lack of male role model linked to dysphoria
  • Many children with dysphoria do not continue into adulthood
  • Biological differences, like BST size, are not accounted for
• What did Rekers find regarding gender dysphoria in those assigned male at birth?

  It is often associated with a lack of male role model
• What percentage of girls with gender dysphoria in childhood transitioned to male in adulthood according to Drummond (2008)?

  12%
• What does the evidence suggest about the persistence of gender dysphoria from childhood to adulthood?

  Many children do not continue to experience it
• What does BST refer to in the context of gender dysphoria?

  Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis
• Why do learning explanations fail to account for certain aspects of gender dysphoria?

  They do not consider biological differences like BST size
• What does atypical gender development refer to?

  Gender identity not matching biological sex
• How does the DSM-5 classify gender dysphoria?

  As a condition causing significant distress
• What biological factors are suggested to contribute to gender dysphoria?

  Genetics, brain structure, and prenatal hormones
• What did Zhou et al. find regarding brain structure differences?

  BSTc size in trans individuals resembles cisgender females
• What is a criticism regarding cause and effect in brain structure studies?

  Brain differences may result from hormone treatment
• What is a limitation of biological explanations for gender identity?

  They can be socially sensitive and reductionist