Gender: Atypical gender development (gender dysphoria) Flashcards
(12 cards)
Define the term gender dysphoria
the distress a person experiences as a result of the disconnect between their internal gender identity (psychological sex) and their biological sex
Gender dysphoria typically occurs at what point in life and does it tend to persist beyond puberty?
What is the estimated prevalance rate for gender dysphoria?
typically occurs in childhood and for most people it does not persist beyond puberty
1 in 5000
What are the 2 biological explanations for gender dysphoria?
Genetic explanation
Brain sex theory
Make 2 points describing the genetic explanation for gender dysphoria
-gene profiling studies have shown that there is a genetic vulnerability that leads to a neurobiological abnormality
-for example , a gene variant of the androgen receptor which influences sensitivity to testosterone
Make 2 points explaining the Brain Sex theory as an explanation for gender dysphoria
-exposure to differing levels of testosterone in the womb can lead to some structures in the brain being sexually dimorphic(different form in males and females)
-research suggests if brain structures aren’t compatible with biological sex , gender dysphoria may result
Social Explanation-Learning Theory
Explain how gender dysphoria may develop through indirect reinforcement ( 3 points)
-children may observe same sex role models behaving in a cross gendered way
-if they see the role models being reinforced for their behaviour they are more likely to imitate them
-children are more likely to imitate models who they perceive to be attractive/of high status/similar to them
Social Explanation-Learning Theory
Explain how gender dysphoria may develop through direct reinforcement ( 2 points)
-parents may positively reinforce children for displaying cross gender behaviour
-these family reactions could contribute to the conflict between biological sex and gender identity
Who provides support for the genetic explanation explanation of gender dysphoria?
Give a however point for this evidence
+Heylens et al 2012
-compared 23 MZ twins with 21 DZ twins where at least 1 of the twins had gender dysphoria
found 9 of the MZ pairs were concordant for GD but none of the DZ twins were
HOWEVER … concordance rate are not very high which suggests the role of genetics is inconclusive , also its hard to separate the role of nature from the role of nurture with twin studies which further challenges the validity of the genetic explanation
Who provides contradictory evidence for the Brain Sex Theory as a biological explanation for gender dysphoria?
-Chung et al 2002
suggested that sexually dimorphic structural changes in the brain aren’t triggered until adulthood , suggesting these differences can’t occur in childhood
this means the BS theory can’t explain why gender dysphoria often occurs in childhood
Who provides supporting evidence for the social explanation (learning theory) of gender dysphoria?
+Mitchell 1991
compared maternal reactions to feminine and masculine behaviours in boys who were referred to a clinic for gender dysphoria with a control group
found mothers of boys with GD were more encouraging of feminine behaviour which suggests direct reinforcement can be used to explain gender dysphoria development
Discuss the implications of research into gender dysphoria
( one + and one -)
+research means gender dysphoria is now not seen as a psychological disorder in many countries which shows research has increased acceptance of gender roles outside traditional male/female roles
-research into the area does still pathologise the disorder , which results in the assumption that gender dysphoria is a psychological abnormality
Give a general weakness of the explanations for gender dysphoria
-both are incomplete alone
its unlikely that gender dysphoria is just biological or just social , suggesting an interactionist approach to explaining the disorder may be more effective
-the biosocial theory suggests individuals can have a biological abnormality which interacts with psychological/social factors to influence onset of the disorder
