1. 1 Psychology 320: Gender Psychology Lecture 26

2. 2 Vintage Sexist Ads

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4. 4 Vintage and Contemporary Sexist TV Commercials Available at: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2439707/ Top-10-sexist-screen-ads.html

5. 5 Gender Identity Development and Gender Dysphoria: 1. When does gender identity develop? 2. What is gender identity disorder?

6. 6 When does gender identity develop? Gender identity: One’s subjective experience of the self as female or male; in most cases, is consistent with one’s biological sex. Two lines of research have attempted to determine when gender identity develops:

7. 7 1. Research Related to Kohlberg’s Cognitive Developmental Theory  Some researchers maintain that gender identity is achieved when one is able to correctly label one’s own gender (i.e., at the end of Kohlberg’s first stage of cognitive development).  In contrast, other researchers maintain that gender identity is achieved only when one has attained gender consistency (i.e., at the end of Kohlberg’s third stage of cognitive development).

8. 8  Although girls acquire gender-related knowledge faster than boys, research suggests that boys achieve gender identity sooner than girls.

9. 9 2. Research on the Impact of Sexual Reassignment  Case studies of individuals who have been “reassigned” to the opposite sex suggest that gender identity is determined before the age of 18 months.

10. 10  Case study of David Reimer (John/Joan): Sex reassignment of genetic male occurred at approximately 18 months; female gender identity failed to develop.  Case study by Bradley et al. (1998): Sex reassignment of genetic male occurred at 7 months; female gender identity successfully developed.

11. 11 What is gender identity disorder? Gender identity disorder (GID) is a behavioural disorder identified by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (i.e., DSM-IV-TR). The condition occurs among those who display gender dysphoria:

12. 12 “I know I’m not a man—about that much I’m very clear, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m probably not a woman either, at least not according to a lot of people’s rules on that sort of thing. The trouble is, we’re living in a world that insists we be one or the other—a world that doesn’t bother to tell us exactly what one or the other is” (Kate Bornstein, 1994, p. 8). “I have [n]ever understood what it is to be a man or a woman …. I seem to be neither, or maybe both, yet ultimately only myself” (Holly Boswell, 1997, p. 54).

13. 13 Diagnostic criteria for GID from the DSM-IV-TR: A. A strong persistent cross-gender identification (not merely a desire for any perceived cultural advantages of being the other sex). In adolescents and adults, the disturbance is manifested by symptoms such as a stated desire to be the other sex, frequent passing as the other sex, desire to live or be treated as the other sex, or the conviction that he or she has the typical feelings and reactions of the other sex. In children, the disturbance is manifested by four (or more) of the following:

14. 14 (a) repeatedly stated desire to be, or insistence that he or she is, the other sex. (b) in boys, preference for cross-dressing or simulating female attire; in girls, insistence on wearing only stereotypical masculine clothing. (c) strong and persistent preferences for cross-sex roles in make-believe play or persistent fantasies of being the other sex. (d) intense desire to participate in the stereotypical games and pastimes of the other sex. (e) strong preference for playmates of the other sex.

15. 15 B. Persistent discomfort with his or her sex or sense of inappropriateness in the gender role of that sex. In adolescents and adults, the disturbance is manifested by symptoms such as preoccupation with getting rid of primary and secondary sex characteristics (e.g., request for hormones, surgery, or other procedures to physically alter sexual characteristics to simulate the other sex) or belief that he or she was born the wrong sex. In children, the disturbance is manifested by any of the following:

16. 16 In boys, assertion that his penis or testes are disgusting or will disappear or assertion that it would be better not to have a penis, or aversion toward rough-and-tumble play and rejection of male stereotypical toys, games, and activities. In girls, rejection of urinating in a sitting position, assertion that she has or will grow a penis, or assertion that she does not want to grow breasts or menstruate, or marked aversion toward normative feminine clothing.

17. 17 C. The disturbance is not concurrent with physical intersex condition. D. The disturbance causes clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or other important areas of functioning.

18. 18 Gender Identity Development and Gender Dysphoria: 1. When does gender identity develop? 2. What is gender identity disorder?