...Abstract There has been an ongoing debate over what affects gender identity more, nature or nurture. One’s gender is decided at the time of conception. Gender identity is defined as a personal belief of what it means to be a boy or a girl (Ghosh, 2013). As children grow and develop they are exposed to ideas, attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs that aid in the development of their sense of self (Witt, 1997). It is impossible for a child to grow to adulthood without experiencing some form of gender bias, such as boys should not wear pink and girls should not play sports. The gender stereotypes they experience at home is reinforced by additional ones they are exposed to in school and from friends (Witt, 1997). Most times children will develop a gender identity that matches his or her genitalia but sometimes this is not the case. So the question remains, what affects an individual’s gender identity more, nature or nurture? Gender Identity Gender identity is defined as a “complex system of beliefs about the subjective self in relation to masculinity and femininity” (Ault & Brzuzy, 2009, p. 187). Gender roles, maleness, and femaleness, have been argued to be a factor of environmental influences, the nurture aspect of child development, and nature, the biological aspect. “Gender identity presents itself in how people outwardly express masculinity and femininity in everyday life and how others respond to this expression” (Ault & Brzuzy, 2009, p. 187)...
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...Gender Identity Every sexual thought, attraction,preference, development, feeling, memory, fantasy, and choice stem from complex brain activity. A complex genetic code determines body type; but that type does not always dictate sexual identity. Sexual identity is an even more complex development that encompasses hormone levels, social learning, individual perception, and attraction. Humans are born genetically male or female; but that does not necessarily control which sexual identity the individual will discover. Planned Parenthood (2012) defines gender identity as how a person feels about and expresses his or her gender; despite genetic or natural gender assignment. Some humans are genetically male or female and identify with the traditional gender roles; but others may find that the traditional cultural norms do not match their feelings or thoughts. Sexual identity is the sexual part of human expression that does not include ideas like sexual orientation, sexual preference, physical gender, or body type. If an individual considers his or her gender as female and is at ease with referring to his or her individual sexual characteristics in feminine terms, his or her gender identity is female. Gender identity has nothing to do with the physical characteristics of gender; but focuses on how the individual thinks (either masculine or feminine) and how he or she expresses those feelings. Ghosh (2012) explains gender identity as “self-identified, as a result of a combination...
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...This paper will discuss the roles of biological factors—nature—and environmental influences—nurture—on sexual differentiation and gender identity. The paper will also determine which has the greater influence on gender identity: nature or nurture. Lastly, the paper will discuss the current arguments about sexual identity and how evidence from biopsychology may help resolve the argument. Biological Factors on Sexual Differentiation and Gender Identity Gender identity is being either male or female. Gender identity is the element that helps make up an individual's sense of self. Before a baby is born their gender is form to either a boy or girl. There are 23 pairs of chromosomes in the human body and it is known that the ova and sperm cells contains part of that number (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2011). When a sperm cell fertilizes an ovum, the zygote ends up having the whole 23 pairs of chromosomes, one is from the father and one is from the mother (Pinel, 2009). When a sperm fertilizes an egg, the development of the zygote in the male or female will depend on whether the sperm is carrying an X or Y sex chromosome (Pinel, 2009). Female ova contain only an X sex chromosome and needs the sperm to provide a Y sex chromosome, which develops a male and if it X sex chromosome the zygote will develop a female. In the case of hormones males and females have different levels of hormones. Hormones that influence an individual’s behavior can produce either masculine or feminine bodies...
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...Gender Identity Psy/340 Gender Identity Introduction The endocrine system is made up of several glands that secrete different hormones. These glands are the: Pituitary, Pineal, Thyroid, Parathyroid, Thymus, Pancreas, and Adrenal Glands as well as the ovaries and testes. All of these glands have a hand in generating hormones responsible for different behaviors either directly or indirectly. “Gender identity is how we feel about and express our gender and gender roles — clothing, behavior, and personal appearance. It is a feeling that we have as early as age two or three” ("Gender And Gender Identity", 2001). While there is much to say about the brain and its relationship to personal gender identity it is also very evident that the interaction between hormones and behavior is a deciding factor as well. Biological Factors & Gender Identity Our personal biology is what we are born with, things that are distinctive to us. Whether someone has red or blonde hair, brown or blue eyes, or light or dark skin is part of their biology. More specifically our sexual organs are perhaps the most distinctive parts of our biology because they set the groundwork for how we will be viewed by society, whether we personally feel that way or not. I say this because our sexual organs will inevitably determine our appearance. Having male organs causes boys/men secrete more androgens or male hormones (testosterone) than girls. Because they secrete a larger amount of these hormones they will...
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...|Gender Identity | |Hormonal and Behavioral Interactions Affect Determination of Gender Identity | |To explain how hormones affect gender identity and sexual behavior or examine how the interaction between hormones and behavior can be | |somewhat complicated. It would be easier to explain if we could say that behavior is caused unequivocally by hormones in the body. What | |has been established though is that elevated levels of hormones increase the chance of certain behaviors, and certain behaviors increase | |the likelihood of change in hormones. What also has been established is that hormones carry messages and that they can affect facets of | |the body at different times (Kalat, 2001). When the body requires a certain process to be done or needs a certain protein made, the | |brain emits a signal to make a certain type of hormone. Those signals are sent through other kinds of hormones that are also in the body.| |Puberty is the time when hormones disperse and levels rise. The testosterone levels in males are usually higher than the estrogen levels | |and that’s when tissue and muscle growth give rise to masculinity. In females, the estrogen levels predominate resulting in femininity. | |At any rate, the lessened or heightened amount of either of these hormones in the...
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...Gender Identity Kaylene Merchant PSY/265 July 27, 2014 Doris Tolan Gender Identity Gender identity is not a concept that everyone actually gives consideration. For most people, they fall into the role that is recognized by those around them. This role, however, is not always compatible with who they really are. For some, there is confusion about who they are and who they would like to be. To better understand gender identity and the traits of masculinity and femininity, one must first fully understand the factors of each concept, and how they apply to an individual. According to Rathus, Nevid, and Fichner-Rathus (2011), gender identity is the personal awareness or sense of self that either reflects as male or female. Gender identity should not be confused with sex (gender) assignment, which is the assignment of “boy” or “girl” that is given at birth. Gender identity focuses on the gender that an individual associates with in their own perception. While an individual may become aware of their anatomic sex by the time they are 18 months old, a firm sense of gender identity is not typically grasped until around 36 months old (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2011). The definition aside, there are several different factors that are thought to contribute to the determination of gender identity. It is almost always aligned with chromosomal sex, but there are cases where biology does not determine identity. In individuals who are intersexual, meaning that they possess the gonads...
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...Gender Identity Gender Identity Gender identity is a complex and multi-dimensional element of a person (Egan & Perry, 2001). Gender identity is the self – identification as male or female. Gender identity, however, is not the same as sexual orientation (Sue, Sue, & Sue, 2010). Both biological and environmental factors contribute to one’s gender identity. Many people have the assumption that there are male and female hormones that determine gender identity (Pinel, 2009). However, this is not the case. In this paper, I will discuss how hormones, as well as environment, affect one’s gender identity and behavior. Biological Factors and Sexual Differentiation The human body consists of many hormones. Among them are androgens, estrogens, and progestins. Androgens and estrogens are both the most common classes of gonadal hormones. A third class of gonadal hormones is progestins. The most common progestin is progesterone. Progesterone prepares the uterus and breasts for pregnancy in females; however it is unclear of its purpose in males (Pinel, 2009). Although it is widely assumed that androgens are “male” hormones and estrogens are “female” hormones. In actuality, men and women have the same hormones although at different levels. These hormones also do not perform the same functions in both sexes. Males and females are both exposed to high levels of estrogens during the fetal stage. However, males are exposed to high androgen levels during the same...
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...Gender Identity PSY 265 Kelly Bidstrup 11/18/12 Gender identity is a highly charged issue around the world. It is so here in the U.S. as well. A person has historically been termed male or female based solely on their physical sexuality. Their assigned sex is determined by the biological characteristics they possess at birth which define if a person is a “boy or girl”. Gender identity is largely termed a psychological rather than a biological issue, although biological factors do play a role in gender identity. As a general rule, gender identity is consistent with an individual’s chromosomal sex (Nevid, Rathus & Fichner-Rathus, 2005). However, gender identity does not lie in the body, but in the mind. This psychological realm makes it possible for a person’s physical sex to be inconsistent with their gender identity. An individual who is assigned the sex of male may not be psychologically able to relate to being a male. They may feel that their proper gender is more feminine instead of masculine. Their assigned sex is male, but their identity is female. A person’s biological gender can differ greatly from their gender identity. Gender roles are determined at the social, stereotypical level. Each culture establishes and maintains their version of what is normal and acceptable within that society. Gender identity can be affected by the way a person is nurtured during their early life. Parents and other caregivers generally pattern their own behavior...
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...Gender Identity Paper Gender is determined at the time of conception. Gender Identity is defined as a personal conception of oneself as being male or female. Gender Identity issues can arise from several reasons and present in many different ways. Hormonal imbalance in the human body can cause an individual to question their true gender. The human body produces hormones which act as “chemical messengers” to try to regulate certain bodily functions like metabolism and growth. These hormones are produced in the endocrine system which includes the adrenal, pancreas, pineal, pituitary, and thyroid glands and manage things like puberty, growth, and physical changes. Hormones help the body maintain homeostasis or a state of balance within the body. When the body produces to much or to little of a hormone it can cause both physical and emotional problems. What are the interactions between hormones and do these interactions affect determination of gender identity? Hormones are responsible for sexual dimorphism (phenotypic sex differences) in the structure of the body and its organs. For example, hormones affect the internal sex organs, including genitals, and secondary sex characteristics that can operate to influence a person's behavior. Thus some research indicates that hormones are responsible for the gender makeup that acts as determinants of feminine and masculine traits. In addition, hormones affect behavior by interacting...
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...Internal and External Factors Influencing the Development of Gender Identity Lanita Doub Liberty University COUN 502-Human Growth & Development Laura Rolen August 11, 2012 Internal and External Factors Influencing the Development of Gender Identity Gender identity is defined as "the perception of oneself as male or female", ( Feldman, 2011). Gender is established by the time a child reaches his or her preschool years. "By the age of two, children consistently label themselves and those around them as male or female" (Feldman, 2011). Preschoolers are very rigid in their beliefs about gender-appropriate behavior. These beliefs become more pronounced by the age of five years. By age seven years the beliefs are still there, although less rigid. Preschooler's ideas of stereotypical behavior are compared to those of traditional adults. Preschoolers develop a gender schema, "a cognitive framework that organizes information relevant to gender"(Feldman, 2011). For example, a preschool boy may refuse to wear makeup in a school play because he knows that makeup is for girls only. In 1966, Lawrence Kohlberg proposed a cognitive-developmental theory, which explains the rigidity of preschoolers as their understanding of gender, and gender appropriate behavior (Feldman, 2011). Shuvo Ghosh states that the development of gender identity "clearly begins in the intrauterine stage". He attributes this to hormone production...
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...Gender Identity The great science fiction writer, Robert Heinlein (1961), once wrote, "Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea" (p. 2). The sexual revolution of the past few generations, epitomized in this quote, has come to define the question of gender identity in my generation. The static nature of gender roles have been questioned and found lacking, and a more dynamic approach to gender roles has been adopted in its place. As I read our textbook I was astonished how the authors postulate that the ideal gender role is neutral, exhibiting traits of both the masculine and female genders (Finchner-Rathus, Nevid, Rathus, 2005). I was also astonished by the admonition that there is increasing evidence that gender identity is determined by prenatal development at the hand of hormones, again not in all cases but in most. However, gender identity is determined by a complex interaction between genetics, hormones, and experience which have all worked collectively to create my masculine gender identity. Before I explain my own masculine gender identity it might be advantageous to first explain the psychological and physiological basis for gender identity. As stated before, gender identity is determine by a complex interaction between many forces. But how do these forces interact and do some of them determine others? Gender identity starts with the Y sex chromosome. During fertilization an X chromosome from the mother and...
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...Sex and Gender are Different: Sexual Identity and Gender Identity are Different Milton Diamond, Ph.D. University of Hawaii, John A. Burns School of Medicine Department of Anatomy and Reproductive Biology Pacific Center for Sex and Society Clinical Child Psychology & Psychiatry - Special Issue In Press for July 2002 Special Editors: Bernadette Wren, Portman Clinic Fiona Tasker, University of London | | | | | | | |Sex and Gender are Different: | |Sexual Identity and Gender Identity | |are Different | | | |Abstract: | |This paper attempts to enhance understanding and communication about different sexual issues. It starts by offering definitions to| |common...
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...Gender Identity Frank Sagasta August 31, 2014 Psychology 265 Dr. David Mohr Abstract I will discuss the path of gender identity and the reviews of what certain people believe. You will see the three different influences of gender identity. These are the three areas of gender identity: anatomy of the genitals, relationship of child to parent, and biological. In addition to physical abnormalities due to genetic and hormonal influences or environmental influences. Something, interesting is the fact that most people believe that gender identity starts with the development through the time of puberty. Here're the factors that determine gender identity. Our gender identity is our psychological awareness or sense of being male or being female, and it’s one of the most obvious and important aspects of our self-concepts. Sex assignment “also called gender assignment” reflects the child’s anatomic sex and usually occurs at birth. A child’s sex is so important to parents that they usually want to know “Is it a boy or a girl?” before they count fingers and toes (Rathus, 2011). Our text was able to exhibit the gender identity that starts with the Y sex chromosome from the both sex. It also assisted with the understanding of the X chromosome from the mother and either a Y or X chromosome from the father, which will join. If the male transmits an X chromosome during fertilization, then the “zygote” will be female, and if the male transmits a Y chromosome, then the...
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...Gender Identity Paper Rechelle Stevenson PSY/340 Annie Powers 4-27-2014 In the research paper the reader will learn the meaning of gender identity and how hormones and behavior interact with each other. Also how hormones and behavior affect the determination of gender identity. Included will be the roles of biological factors. This paper will determine which has greater influence on gender identity nature or nurture. Gender identity is the acceptance of ones membership into a certain group of people. How an individual perceives themselves male or female is considered gender identity. Hormones play a major role in a person’s life; it affects their sex in two ways. Hormones affect the development from the time a person is conceived until they have grown into sexual maturity. Sexual maturity of anatomical, physiological, and behavioral traits determine a person as a male or female by activating the reproduction related behavior of sexual mature adults. Endocrine glands main function is to release hormones (University of Phoenix, 2009). A biological factor has a big part in shaping physical development. Males and females are born with distinctive sexual organs, these differences emerge around puberty. Hormones are responsible for the appearance of these physical differences. Too much androgen plays a major part in a male or female. Boys that have an excess amount of androgens tend to be fine and behave normally. Girls on the other hand are a different story; they tend...
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...Gender Identity According to the dictionary gender identity is “a person’s inner sense of being male or female, usually developed during early childhood as a result of parental practices and societal influences and strengthened during puberty by hormonal changes” (Dictionary.com 2013) The Encyclopedia Britannica states the gender identity is not fixed at birth. It is the combination of social and physiologic factors that contribute identity and then it is “modified and expanded by social factors as the child grows and matures.” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013) There are many factors that can determine gender identity, such as nature, biological, social and environmental. According to chapter six, “Gender identity is almost always consistent with chromosomal sex, but such consistency does not certify that gender identity is biologically determined.” (Rathus, Nevid, and Fichner-Rathus, Pg. 168) Biological views tend to focus on which genetics, brain structure or hormone is linked to behavior patterns. It has been researched that there are both male and female whom have been born with “congenital adrenal hyperplasia.” This condition will cause higher androgen hormone levels that those of their peers. For the females born with this condition, they act and display more masculine traits. Studies have shown that social environments and child rearing will also impact the development of gender identities. One would argue that a child’s behaviors, interests and self-concept...
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