Gender Identity Development

Every organism; flowers, animals, bacteria, seen and unseen has something which can be used to identity its gender. In humans, gender is determined by X Y chromosomes. Females inherit and pass on the X chromosome, and males inherit and pass on X Y chromosomes. Gender Identity in humans are based on the physical appearance of a baby's sex organ at birth, With the classification of male, or female. The physical appearance is just one factor which determines an individual's identity. Babies are not born with knowledge of gender identity, as it is a belief. Gender Identity is learned predominately through culture. Understanding Bronfenbrenner Bioecological Theory of Process- Person- Context- Time, will allow an

Along with the development perspectives and social implications. Miller, develops an argument that gender identity can be “fruitfully explored” as a personality process. Some of the topics discussed include gender identity as a personality process; the intersection of gender and sexual identity development in a sample of transgender individuals; gender dysphoria; representations of teachers about the relation between physical education contents and gender identities; and common hypothetical etiology of excess and exposure in female-to-male transsexualism and polycystic ovary

Chapter eleven focuses on sexual disorders and gender identity disorders. For this discussion I wanted to talk about gender identity disorder. For ordinary individuals they can describe themselves or identify themselves as either males or females since we are a child. But, there are some individuals who do not experienced this type of clarity. For some individuals it is a sense that their identity is different from the gender category which they were born with or that it is something that lies outside of the usual male versus female categories. These individuals are known as transgender experiences. It is something that we are seeing more and more of in society today. Many of these transgender individuals come to terms with themselves and they find

Butch, masculine, lesbians have frequently been compared with femme, feminine, lesbians through multiple research surveys and studies (L. Zheng and Y. Zheng 186-193, Rosario, Schrimshaw, Hunter, and Levy-Warren 34-49). In L. Zheng and Y. Zheng's study, most butch lesbians report more gender nonconformity throughout their childhood and adulthood; a great number of them experienced uncertainty about their gender identity (186-193). Similarly, research on trans men explains how the majority of them struggle through gender nonconformity mostly before their transition: oftentimes, they are labeled as

However, many people whose “appearance or behavior is gender nonconforming will identify as a transgender person” (APA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office). There are many different types of transgender as well. People who identify as other than transgender usually self-identify as genderqueer, genderfluid, “androgynous, multigendered, gender nonconforming, third gender, and two-spirit” (APA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office). The meanings of these labels vary from individual to individual. Gender identity is a very personal subject, shaped by and individual’s experiences and values. Gender variance can be seen on a spectrum, varying between cross-dressing individuals who are comfortable with their biological sex, to individuals who experience extreme dysphoria when dealing with the conflict between their gender and sex. There is not yet a determined cause for the reason people identify as transgender. Scientists have reasoned that “genetic influences and prenatal hormone levels, early experiences, and experiences later in adolescence or adulthood” likely contribute, but are not the sole causes (APA Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Concerns Office). Lack of research into the psychology of gender variance is likely due to the social stigma attached to people whose identities fall outside the socially accepted gender

I chose to explore the definition of masculinity from the perspective of a female-to-male transgender individual. Often times, masculinity is one of the biggest validations a man can have. However, feeling less masculine than one would want can be detrimental. In terms of transgender men, feeling masculine can be a struggle. In searching for scientific journals and articles pertaining to both subjects, transgender and masculinity, there were only a handful of articles written. There is little research about how female-to-male transgender individuals feel about masculinity. However, there was enough evidence to gather an idea of what studies years from now may continue to uncover on this subject. This lack of research should suggest a need for

Is it a boy or a girl? When we first hear about the announcement of a new life coming, our brains right away insist on “knowing the gender”. In the essay Learning to Be Gendered, Penelope Eckert and Sally McConnell, discuss that gender is a form of separating people by characteristics. Not necessarily because there is a biological reasoning behind classifying someone by gender.Eckert and McConnell are definitely right, from birth we teach our children to associate with their gender and their gender only. They provided many examples of why they believe that as a society we are teaching children from birth, to be associated with their gender and their gender only. Gendering children has been produced by

Being transgender is where one’s gender identity does not actually reflect their actual sex (Goldberg, 2014). A transgender individual encounters discrimination, as to many it is a confusing behavior that is perpetrated by society, and the media. There are concerns of ethics, as well as concerns about society and how they are affected by the changes being implemented to accommodate those that are transgender. There is uproar within the walls of society when a transgender people express themselves and are hailed a hero. The transgender person often times suffers from more than just the discrimination against their identity; it is said that often times various psychological influences are in play, and they need to be dealt with in some cases to rid one of such feelings. Needless to say society has been placed in very delicate situations as not to call a transgender person transgendered. Transgender is an adjective, and not a noun, which seemingly exudes a sense of discrimination (“Human Rights Campaign,” 2011).

There are numerous theories regarding the development of one’s gender identity. Gender identity refers how one identifies as either male, female or transgender.

The transgender community continue to battle the acknowledgment of independent identity within society. The ongoing problem has been the continued gender crisis with mistaken the identity of transgender as the same as gay or lesbian sexuality. Gay is a term commonly used to refer to homosexuals, but transgender is the state in which a person’s gender identity does not match with his/her physical sex (Gay Couple Fertility Care, 2015, p. 1)". Transgender people may identify as heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, pansexual, polysexual, or asexual. It does not imply to any specific form of sexual orientation (Gay Couple Fertility Care, 2015, p. 1)".

As stated in our text, gender identity is our psychological awareness or sense of being male or female, and it’s one of the most obvious and important aspects of our self-concepts. Gender identity is almost always consistent with chromosomal sex, but such

The typical narrative of gender non-conforming individuals I have been exposed to is that of a “man born in a woman’s body”, so while I found myself at a disconnect from my assigned label as a girl, my limited understanding of gender left me confused when I found I was no more personally connected to a male label. Recently however, I have learned that it is possible for someone to fall past the traditional narrative of transgender America; identifying as neither man nor woman, both man and woman, or somewhere between the two. Gaining this knowledge allowed me to realize with the discomfort I find in being called “ma’am”, unease in being referred to as a “daughter” or “sister”, and disassociation with conventionally female pronouns she/her, that I could identify my gender as agender or more broadly,

For most, identifying who you are, the population you belong to you, and the group you identify with is an incredibly simple task. Anything outside the standard gender parameters would often ostracize you from your family, friends, and community; however, an increasingly larger group of individuals do not follow these constructed parameters. About five in every 100,000 individuals do not fall into the sex and gender roles they are born into. These individuals face a lifetime of psychological abuse, physical abuse, depression, and in some cases suicide. The transgender community faces a plethora of problems that limit their acceptance into society. Transitioning can be the single most important step toward a healthier, happy life.

Trans or transgender is an umbrella term used to describe those who move away from and do not identify with the gender that they were born. It encompasses all people who do not fit into a binary conception of gender identity or expression. It is a group with diverse identities and expressions, and that differ from stereotypical gender norms. Some transgender choose to modify their bodies to varying degrees, whether through surgeries, or hormone therapies, while others choose to live without surgical intervention, and change their body and behavior in other ways, and live as their chosen gender (Houghtaling, Melissa 2015). The most important thing to note is that transgender is not a reference to one’s sexual identity, or preference, but it is more about ones gender expression, which refers to a presentation of a person’s behaviors, interests, and/or affinities that are considered feminine, masculine, or some combination thereof (Serano, Julia. 2007). The umbrella term of trans or transgender includes, but is not limited to, people who identify as transgender, trans woman, trans man, transsexual, cross-dressers, or gender non-conforming, gender variant or gender queer.

Often times you go through life, being confused about what to wear, what to eat, or what you just learned in class. However, many people are constantly categorized to be confused about what their whole life and purpose is, because they cannot be placed in one of the two socially accepted gender categories- male or female. This idea or “disorder”(Medical Dictionary) is commonly known as being transgender. I do not think that there are only two categories for gender; I believe that there are people who are not considered to be only male or female, but both. Due to different religions, influences, social structures, and expectations, people can be put into hiding and therefore never establish a distinct and accepted place in society. In the ongoing controversy, I believe society continues to make the transgender community and essentially any other difference in humanity an uncomfortable subject, which is easily converted to the individual being confused about their social identity or gender.