Gender Acquisition in Early Childhood Essay example

Discussion of issues related to non-normative sexual and gender identities as related to mental health began in the 19th century (Drescher, 2010). Initially medical and psychiatric providers viewed issues related to gender identity as resulting from delusional thought processes (Drescher, 2010). As a result the concept of surgery as a solution to gender identity differences was viewed as unnecessary and ultimately an incorrect form of treatment (Drescher, 2010). In 1952 the first gender reassignment surgery was performed in Denmark on an American citizen (Drescher, 2010). The publicity in the American media that followed this surgery brought the concept of gender identity to the public eye. During the 1960s research about gender identity started to develop and it was the work of Money, Stoller, Benjamin, and Green that ultimately change professional and public concept of Gender Identity (Drescher, 2010). These four individuals were among the first to conduct clinical and academic research on gender identity and gender roles (Drescher, 2010). As a result of their research beliefs about non-normative gender identity shifted from a problem of the mind to a biological disorder that was fixed and should be treated with

“We have been very conditioned by the cultures that we come from and are usually very identified with the particular gender that we happen to be a member of.” This quote by Andrew Cohen explains partially how gender identity develops, through the conditioning of our environments. The most influential factor of gender development, however, is still a very controversial issue. An analysis of the gender identification process reveals two main arguments in what factor most greatly contributes to gender development: biology differences (nature) or the environment (nurture).

     This paper takes a look into the lives of three males breaking out of their gender

My Gender Development Gender identity is the measure by which one identifies as being masculine and feminine, and it is often shaped early in life. Gender varies across cultures over time, and over the individual’s term of life. However, the formation of “gender identity is not clearly understood, many factors have been indicated as the ones changing the gender development” (Boundless, 2014). This factors are described as theories, and throughout these theories we can discover stage by stage the approaches to gender development.

The case study written by Keith K. Schillo of SUNY College at Oneonta gives a brief argument of how the nurture theory could possibly be the cause of gender identity based on the struggles one boy had to endure during his life. The case study goes on to describe how a twin boy went from being a boy to a girl and then back to being a boy again back in 1965 to determine if gender identity was based solely on the nurture theory, or if nature was the cause. Due to the inability of both boys being able to urinate properly, it was decided to circumcise them in hopes that they could live normal healthy lives, but due to the use of unconventional methods, one boy was severely mutilated and forced to live without a penis. Based on the nurture theory of development, one psychologist from John Hopkins University believed if the child was completely castrated and reassigned gender, the parents could raise him as a girl and that she would grow up healthy and happy. While he was treated as a female, he still maintained the desire of being male and acted accordingly by refusing the many variables given to him such as clothing or activities that often reflect female instead of male characteristics. After many years of being trapped in a girl’s body, he underwent a double mastectomy to remove his breasts, and had a penis reconstructed so that he could once again live freely as a male. After all this, he eventually married and lived a happy life until one day he was consumed by

There have been many theories and studies in support of the development of gender identity and gender roles. One major theory was the one put forward by Bandura and his social learning theory.

With the new age of technology and the incredibly fast ways anyone can access information, having conversations about controversial social topics is not uncommon. When talking about the grey area that is sex and gender, the argument of gender dysphoria and the surgery that goes behind it is questioned. Gender dysphoria, often the biological condition that goes behind gender reassignment surgery, is a health condition that emanates when one lives with ongoing feelings of being physically incongruous with his or her birth sex. The general public is divided in the situation, either against the surgery and the transgender population, or advocates of the medical advancements that society has achieved. There are an abundance of components and processes that goes into sex reassignment surgery (SRS), ranging from physical surgeries to the psychological and hormonal changes amid the various procedures and practices.

Gender should not be intertwined with the term sex, which refers to the physical differences in individuals. Instead, gender is the idea of being male or female, and it is well understood by the time children reach the preschool years. Differences in gender become more pronounced as children age, and societal expectations are reinforced by parents and peers. Behavioral differences may be evident since parents may treat their child differently according to gender. A big example of this is how parents may react to a child’s first

There are many theories that discuss the meaning of gender in relation to children and here they will be discussed. Gender as a definition, is ‘the state of being male or female, and only often used with reference to social and cultural difference, rather than biological differences’ (Murray et al, 1961). It has been previously observed that it is early years’ settings that provide the first environment where children are ‘institutionally socialised’ (Gestwicki and Bertrand, 2011). Children begin to develop gender schemas predominantly in the first few years, and the way in which they perceive gender is influenced by those who have an active role in their development (Martin and Ruble, 2004).

Justification for Diagnosis: Gender dysphoria is when an individual feels a gender incongruence between their expressed gender compared to their assigned gender for at least six months. This is accompanied by the manifestation of two other symptoms of gender dysphoria. Jay is a 20-year-old female whom has reported feeling distressed over her parents seeing her masculine appearance she has adopted. Jay has assumed this change in her appearance in the past year of coming to Canada, however, she admits to identifying more as “tom boy” since she was young. Based on this given information, Jay fits the definition of gender dysphoria as for most of her life (greater than six month) she has felt more comfortable being a boy than her assigned gender

Gender may well be the most defining factor in the spectrum of elements that comprise the human persona. In fact gender is so basic to our identity, most people mistakenly assume that our sense of being male or female is defined with absolute certainty by our anatomical sex. Contrary to popular belief, our sense of gender and anatomical sex are two distinct elements; each developing at different times in different parts of the body. While my research is limited to hormone replacement therapy involved in masculinizing a biological female, it should be noted that the psychiatric, psychological, and medical factors that contribute to cases of gender dysforia are major

I have never been comfortable with the topic of gender dysphoria. Comer (2013) describes the disorder where a “…people persistently feel that a vast mistake has been made, they have been born the wrong sex, and gender changes would be desirable” (356). It is very hard for me to wrap my brain around the idea that a person would be unaccepting of the gender that they were born with. I found it very interesting to read some of the explainations that involve biological reasoning for the disorder. It helped me gain a little understanding about why some of the people might experience the thoughts about their bodies and genders. Comer says that children even as young as three years old can display hate towards girly clothing, prefer to be around boys,

I think it is healthier for a child to grow up with one gender identity rather than confusing them and treat the child two. Gender expression can be binary because even non-intersex individuals are expose to binary gender expression. Also, the ultimate decision of the individual’s gender identity is up to that person. As the child grow up and are uncomfortable with the gender identity given at birth, then always have a treatment option which is “to have surgery to change their biological sex to fit their psychological gender” (Helgeson 1998, p. 7). If a boy is not satisfy with the gender given by his parents, he has the right to change his sex as he wish. However, it is still reasonable to raise an intersex with one gender identity because personally, I do not want to confuse the child any more than he or she might already be. Also, I think it is important to let the child know the gender identity he/she is, at least it will make his/ her life much better growing up. It also has positive psychological impact to the child’s health overall growing up with one gender identity rather than

The question on whether gender identity, which is a person’s perception of their own gender, is defined by nature or nurture has long been debated in the scientific community. For decades in the scientific community, it was stated that the child’s upbringing determined their gender identity. According to the scientific community, the environment and the way the child is treated during growth are the only factors that determine a child’s gender identity. One member of the scientific community who believed that a child’s gender is constructed through nurturing was Dr. John Money. Dr. John Money was a psychologist who specialized in research on the biology of gender and sexual identity. Dr. John Money spent his lifetime studying how a person is affected by societal constructs of

boy something, is it appropriate for people to say, “No, don’t buy him that. It’s too girly,” or