gender identity

Examples of gender identity in the following topics:

• Development of Gender Identity

  • Gender identity is a person's subjective experience of their own gender; how it develops is a topic of much debate.
  • Studies suggest that children develop gender identity in three distinct stages:
  • Around age 5–7, gender identity becomes rigid in a process known as consolidation.
  • According to proponents of queer theory, gender identity is not a rigid or static identity but can continue to evolve and change over time.
  • Apply social-learning theory and gender-schema theory to the context of gender identity development and the gender spectrum

• Gender as a Spectrum and Transgender Identities

  • This social dichotomy enforces conformance to the ideals of masculinity and femininity in all aspects of gender and sex—gender identity, gender expression, and biological sex.
  • In contrast, some societies have "third gender" categories that can be used as a basis for a gender identity by people who do not identify with the gender that is usually associated with their biological sex.
  • The gender continuum (sometimes referred to as the gender matrix) is an extension of this gender spectrum that includes additional gender identities.
  • The continuum approach to gender identity provides individuals with more personal freedom in which to express themselves.
  • In addition, people may identify as androgynous, bigender, pangender, ambigender, non-gendered, agender, intergender, third gender, or another identity altogether.

• Gender Dysphoria

  • In 2013, the diagnosis was renamed from "gender identity disorder" to "gender dysphoria" after criticisms that the former term was stigmatizing.
  • The previous diagnosis of gender identity disorder (GID) caused a great deal of controversy.
  • The official reclassification of gender dysphoria as a disorder in the DSM-5 may help resolve some of these issues, because the term "gender dysphoria" applies only to the discontent experienced by some persons resulting from gender identity issues, rather than suggesting that their identity is disordered.
  • Gender dysphoria exists when a person suffers discontent due to gender identity, causing them emotional distress.
  • The current medical approach to treatment for persons diagnosed with gender dysphoria is to support the individual in physically modifying their body to better match their psychological gender identity.

• Defining Sex, Gender, and Sexuality

  • But have you ever been asked to provide your sex and your gender?
  • It may not have occurred to you that sex and gender are not the same.
  • A person's sex, as determined by his or her biology, does not always correspond with their gender; therefore, the terms "sex" and "gender" are not interchangeable.
  • Gender identity is a person's sense of self as a member of a particular gender.
  • The term "transgender" encompasses a wide range of possible identities, including agender, genderfluid, genderqueer, two-spirit (for many indigenous people), androgynous, and many others.

• Discrimination Based on Sex and Gender

  • Discrimination based on sex and gender contributes to harassment, unequal treatment, and violence against women, girls, and transgender and gender non-conforming people.
  • Sexism or gender discrimination is prejudice or discrimination based on a person's sex or gender.
  • It has been linked to stereotypes and gender roles and includes the belief that males are intrinsically superior to other sexes and genders.
  • Transgender people are much more likely to experience harassment, bullying, and violence based on their gender identity; they also experience much higher rates of discrimination in housing, employment, healthcare, and education (National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs, 2010).
  • Describe the forms of gender-based discrimination that exist in society today

• Human Sexuality and Culture

  • Sexuality is also separate from gender identity, which is a person's sense of their own gender, or sociocultural classification (i.e., man, woman, or another gender) based on biological sex (i.e., male or female).
  • It is also distinct from—although it shapes—sexual orientation, or one's emotional and sexual attraction to a particular sex or gender.
  • With the advent of patriarchal societies, gender roles around sexuality became much more stringent, and sexual norms began focusing on sexual possessiveness and the control of female sexuality.
  • Different cultures, however, have established distinctive approaches to gender.
  • Media serves to perpetuate a number of social scripts about sexual relationships and the sexual roles of men and women, many of which have been shown to have both empowering and problematic effects on people's (especially women's) developing sexual identities and sexual attitudes.

• Sexual Orientation

  • A person's sexual orientation is their emotional and sexual attraction to a particular sex or gender.
  • According to the American Psychological Association, sexual orientation "also refers to a person's sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a community of others who share those attractions."
  • "Bisexuality" was a term traditionally used to refer to attraction to individuals of either male or female sex, but it has recently been used in a less binary model of sex and gender (i.e., a model that does not assume there are only two sexes or two genders) to refer to attraction to any sex or gender.
  • Alternative terms such as "pansexuality" and "polysexuality" have also been developed, referring to attraction to all sexes/genders and attraction to multiple sexes/genders, respectively.
  • "Asexuality" refers to having no sexual attraction to any sex/gender.

• Influences of Culture and Gender in Psychotherapy

  • Cultural and gender norms significantly shape how mental illness as well as therapy and various other treatment methods are perceived.
  • Those who favor multicultural therapy models focus on cultural specificity—that therapy should be adapted to specific cultures due to differing cultural norms, expectations, and identities.
  • Culture  and gender can influence the therapy process in a number of ways.
  • A number of research studies have also found gender to be an important factor in how an individual communicates.
  • Due to gender socialization, men and women may express depression differently, which is an important consideration when planning a course of therapy.

• Influences of Culture and Gender on Personality

  • Both culture and gender are important factors that influence the development of personality.
  • Ideas of appropriate behavior for each gender (masculine and feminine) vary among cultures and tend to change over time.
  • While many gender roles remain the same, others change over time.
  • This type of attitude change has been accompanied by behavioral shifts that coincide with changes in trait expectations and shifts in personal identity for men and women.
  • Gender roles can determine which traits are considered positive or desirable.

• Gender and Sociology

  • From birth, children are assigned a gender and are socialized to conform to certain gender roles based on their biological sex.
  • From birth, children are socialized to conform to certain gender roles based on their biological sex and the gender to which they are assigned.
  • Gender roles are based on norms, or standards, created by society.
  • Each agent reinforces gender roles by creating and maintaining normative expectations for gender-specific behavior.
  • The attitudes and expectations surrounding gender roles are not typically based on any inherent or natural gender differences, but on gender stereotypes, or oversimplified notions about the attitudes, traits, and behavior patterns of males and females.