Psyche logo

Psychology behind Gender Identity

Are there causes and effects

By Novel AllenPublished 2 years ago 6 min read
1
Psychology behind Gender Identity
Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

"Gender identity is the personal sense of one's own gender. It can correlate with a person's assigned sex or can differ from it. In most individuals, the various biological determinants of sex are congruent or matching, and consistent with the individual's gender identity. Gender expression typically reflects a person's gender identity, but this is not always the case. While a person may express behaviors, attitudes, and appearances consistent with a particular gender role, such expression may not necessarily reflect their gender identity. The term gender identity was coined by psychiatry professor Robert J. Stoller in 1964 and popularized by psychologist John Money.

The 2012 book Introduction to Behavioral Science in Medicine says that with exceptions, "Gender identity develops surprisingly rapidly in the early childhood years, and in the majority of instances appears to become at least partially irreversible by the age of 3 or 4. Both biological and social factors have been suggested to influence its formation. After age three, it is extremely difficult to change gender identity". (Wiki).

There are many factors that have been suggested as influencing the development of gender identity. Socialization and environmental factors, innate biological factors, known as nature versus nurture factors may play an important role . Pre or post natal hormone levels and genetic makeup may also influence gender identity, although it does not inflexibly determine it.

"When children are raised by individuals who adhere to stringent gender roles, they are more likely to behave in the same way, matching their gender identity with the corresponding stereotypical gender patterns. Language also plays a role: children, while learning a language, learn to separate masculine and feminine characteristics and subconsciously adjust their own behavior to these predetermined roles. The social learning theory posits that children develop their gender identity through observing and imitating gender-linked behaviors, and then being rewarded or punished for behaving that way, thus being shaped by the people surrounding them through trying to imitate and follow them. Large-scale twin studies suggest that rather than shared environmental factors (i.e., cultural factors), which have a negligible role, the development of both transgender and cisgender gender identities is due to innate genetic factors, with a small potential influence of unique environmental factors". (Wiki)

Like many of us I struggle to understand this boom of new identities within and encompassing a rising revolution of sexual identities. Granted, I knew there were always people who had different orientations towards the sexual and sensual aspects of life. But now names are being assigned, and what was once only whispered in dark shadows and alleyways, for fear of retribution and death, has come to the forefront of our lives and are ready to be now identified.

There are those of us who will accept these new and unexpected changes and additions to Webster's, and Oxford's dictionaries and the Encyclopedias of time. So too will naysayers and objectors fight hard and steadfast to reject what is seen as a travesty to the 'naturalness and decency' that has been proven over eons to be the one true direction of our gift of life.

Is there a wrong or right way to live our lives. Is a deviation from the norm a bad thing or a good thing. Is there a set of rules or a rule book. Who is to judge. Have people just become bored with the every day cycle of sameness, like living within an ever moving matrix, where we stop every now and again to test or check if we are really real, or just puppets on a string being always manipulated by unseen entities or beings. Is this new wave of change a fad or phase which will fade away in the long or short run, or is it a statement of a change that has emerged from 'the closet' and is here to stay.

Can we really hope to live for ever doing things the same way. We cannot deny that every generation appears more intelligent than the one before, or mostly so. Change is written in the blueprint of our lives. Whether some or all of these changes will be acceptable will depend on each individual and the depth of their willingness to assimilate into the changing times. Many will never accept, many will have an open mind, and many will fight for the same old until the end. We all know within our hearts which way we will opt to exist and accept.

Most societies are adapted to an assigned gender binary division, where there is a masculine and feminine biology in all aspects of sex, identity and expression.

There are persons, however, who do not identify with some or all aspects of gender which constitutes our everyday lives. Some of these are transgender, pansexual, non-binary, genderqueer, and third gender. What are defined as gender neutral, gender fluid, androgynous, or gender reveal, cisgender and gender expansive?

Breakdown of terms

Non-binary...not relating to, composed of, or involving just two things. Denoting or relating to a gender or sexual identity that is not defined in terms of traditional binary oppositions such as male and female or homosexual or heterosexual.

Pansexual...not limited in sexual choice with regard to biological sex, gender or gender identity.

Transgender...denoting or relating to a person whose sense of personal identity and gender does not correspond with their birth sex.

Genderqueer...denoting or relating to a person who does not subscribe to conventional gender distinctions but identifies with neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders.

Gender neutral...d enoting a word or expression that cannot be taken to refer to one gender only: "gender neutral terms like flight attendant, firefighter and police officer".

Gender fluid...denoting or relating to a person who does not identify themselves as having a fixed gender.

Androgynous...partly male and partly female in appearance; of indeterminate sex.

Gender reveal...a public announcement by expectant parents of the sex of their unborn child.

Third gender...a category of people who do not identify as male or female, but rather as neither, both, or a combination of male and female genders.

Cisgender gender...Cisgender is a gender identity that aligns with the sex a doctor assigned a person at birth. A doctor assigns a person’s sex at birth based on the appearance of their external genitalia. People inherit 23 pairs of chromosomes from their parents. The 23rd pair of chromosomes a person inherits are the sex chromosomes.

Gender expansive...Gender expansive is an umbrella term sometimes used to describe people who expand notions of gender expression and identity beyond perceived or expected societal gender norms. Some gender-expansive individuals identify as a mix of genders, some identify more binarily as a man or a woman, and some identify as no agender.

The questions of morality or immorality, of reverting to what once was or what is the accepted norm is now of the past. The question of how the young and upcoming generation is adapting to a new world of a dizzying array of adjectives and nouns to denote who they are, and who their friends and acquaintances are, will be a delicate balance between the old and the new way of life. They will need guidance and a lesson in open-mindedness.

Michael Buble...A new life.

Make of life what you will, your choice to accept or reject, embrace or make a stand for what you believe in.

It is a new world that is dawning.

Do not be caught unprepared!

N.A.

Translations of words courtesy of Dictionary Oxford languages.

advice
1

About the Creator

Novel Allen

Every new day is a blank slate. Write something new.

Reader insights

Be the first to share your insights about this piece.

How does it work?

Add your insights

Comments

There are no comments for this story

Be the first to respond and start the conversation.

Sign in to comment

    Find us on social media

    Miscellaneous links

    • Explore
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use
    • Support

    © 2024 Creatd, Inc. All Rights Reserved.