AO3

• Biological explanations for gender dysphoria are more recent than social explanations and more supported by evidence.
• Hare et al examained gene samples from male gender dysphorics and non-dysphorics. A correlation was found between gender dysphoria and variants of the androgen receptor gene, implying the gene to be involved in a failure to masculinise the brain during development in the womb, supporting a biological explanation.
• Hiries argues the strong, persistent desire to change sex and willingness to undergo surgery and hormone treatment despite prejudice, bullying and job loss points to a biological explanation
• Gladue found few hormonal differences between GD men and heterosexual men which suggests social explanation may be more fitting. However hormonal therapies have been successful, Green and Fleming found treatment was 87% successful in females and 97% successful in males, supporting biological basis to disorder
• Rekers 70 GD boys lack if stereotypical male role models suggesting disorder is learned by observation and imitation of individuals modelling cross-gender behaviour eg mother, suggesting social learning factors play a role in the condition.
• Conditioning experiences may explain why more children than adults are identified as gender dysphoric.  Early life experiences are dominated by the family, where cross-gender behaviours are tolerated or even encouraged, but as the individual grows up, others are more likely that an individual will be punished for behaving in ‘inappropriate’ ways.
• The psychoanalytic theory does not provide an adequate account of GD in females as the theory only applies to male transgender individuals and it is very difficult to test.
• Increasingly, evidence suggests that the influence of hormones and genetics is the main cause of GD, but there is little evidence to suggest a totally biological explanation and other interacting psychological factors are likely to be involved, too.
• Bennett (2006) points out that while SLT explains the development of cross-gender behaviours, it cannot explain the strength of beliefs that individuals possess concerning being the wrong sex, or the resistance of such beliefs to therapy.  This would indicate a biological explanation.
• GD is a sensitive area in which to conduct research and care must be taken when investigating the phenomenon to not cause psychological harm to what are often confused and vulnerable individuals.
• The fact that the vast majority of people with GD who are given hormonal therapies to reduce the dissonance (lack of harmony) experienced of feeling they were of opposite gender to their biological sex see their treatment as successful supports the idea of a biological basis to the disorder.