ATYPICAL GENDER DEVELOPMENT

• GENDER DYSPHORIA (TRANSGENDERISM)


  It is a mismatch between external sexual characteristics and psychological experience of self as male/female.  Characterised by strong, persistent feelings of identity with the opposite gender and discomfort with one’s own assigned sex.  People with gender dysphoria desire to live as members of the opposite sex and often dress and use mannerisms associated with the opposite gender.
• BIO EXPLANATION


  Dimorphic brain areas - gender dysphoria is caused by specific brain structures that are incompatible with a person’s biological sex.  Attention is paid to areas of the brain that are dimorphic (take a different form for males and females).
• BIO EXPLANATION 


  Phantom limb syndrome and cross wiring - gender dysphoria is an innate form of phantom limb syndrome (amputees report feelings of itchiness or try to pick things up with missing limb).  This occurs due to brain cross-wiring and for gender dysphoria the image of the sex organs is innately hardwired in a manner opposite to the person’s biological sex.  This means that some men feel they should not have penis and some women feel they should have one, including phantom erections.
• BIO EXPLANATION


  Genetics - family studies and twin studies where there is a higher chance in developing gender identity disorder.
• BIO EXPLANATION


  Biochemical which includes hormonal imbalance 
• (+) BIO EX - ATYPICAL 


  twin studies, COOLIDGE ET AL assessed 157 twin pairs and found that 62% of the variance could be accounted for by genetic factors. This is also backed up by Heylens et al who compared 23 MZ and 21 DZ twins, finding a 39% concordance rate for MZ. This indicates a role for genetic factors and suggests there is a strong heritable component to gender dysphoria. 
• (+) BIO EX - ATYPICAL

  Two Dutch studies studied another sexually dimorphic aspect of the brain - white matter. They analysed the brains of both males and female transgender individuals, before hormone treatment. The amount and distribution of white matter corresponded more closely to the gender the individuals identified themselves as, rather than biological sex.
• (-) BIO EX - ATYPICAL - CONTRASTING 


  CHUNG ET AL =

  noted that prenatal hormonal influences are not triggering until adulthood. This evidence casts doubt on the idea that dimorphic brain differences are present in early childhood. 
• SOCIAL EXPLANATION - PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY

  Mother-son relationships: gender dysphoria in males is caused by the child experiencing extreme separation anxiety or trauma before gender identity has been established and distorted parental attitudes. The child fantasies of a symbiotic fusion with his mother to relieve the anxiety and the danger of separation is removed. The consequence is the child becomes the mother and adopts a female gender identity. 
• SOCIAL EXPLANATION - PSYCHOANALYTIC THEORY

  Father-daughter relationships: females identify as males due to the constant rejection from father as they believe that identifying as a male will have their father accept them.
• SOCIAL EXPLANATION - ATYPICAL 


   Through operant conditioning where infants are encouraged or complemented when dressing up or doing certain behaviour traits that the opposite gender/sex would do.  Through social learning theory where individuals learn through observation and imitation of individuals modelling cross gender behaviour.
• (+) SOC EX - ATYPICAL

  ZUCKER ET AL =

  studied 115 boys with concerns about their gender identity and their mothers. Of the boys who were eventually diagnosed with GID, 64% were also diagnosed with separation anxiety disorder, compared to only 38% of the boys whose symptoms were subclinical. This points to some kind of disordered attachment to a mother as a factor in Gender identity disorder. 
• (+) SOC EX - ATYPICAL 


  STROLLER =

   used interviews and reported that Gender identity disorder males displayed overly close mother-son relationships that would lead to greater female identification and confused gender identity in the long term. 
• (-) SOC EX - ATYPICAL

  COLE ET AL =

   studied 435 individuals experiencing gender dysphoria and reported that the range of psychiatric conditions displayed was no greater than found in a ‘normal’ population, which suggests that gender dysphoria is generally unrelated to trauma or pathological families. 
• (-) SOC EX - ATYPICAL 


  BENNETT =

  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.