Understanding Gender Dysphoria in Abnormal Psychology

Intersex

A person born with sex characteristics which differ from those of a typical male and female; the state of having physical features relating to both male and female sexes.

Primary sex characteristics

Sex organs; internal and external reproductive structures.

Secondary sex characteristics

Features generally appearing at puberty based on hormone release.

Gender

A person's sense of self as a member of a particular gender (identification as a man, a woman or something else).

Gender identity

Association with a social role or set of behavioral and cultural traits, clothing, etc.

Gender Dysphoria

Distress resulting from the incongruence between one's experienced gender identity and one's assigned gender or sex.

Transgender

A gender identity; 'My gender is not the sex I was born as.'

Dysphoria

A triggered, powerful emotional state.

Gender Identity Disorder

A term used in DSM-III (1980) for children and 'Transsexualism' for teens and adults, believed to be the identity itself as the disorder.

Gender Dysphoria

The condition recognized in DSM-5 (2013) where the identity is not the problem, but the extreme distress caused by a lack of ability to fully express or be the desired gender.

Marked incongruence

A significant mismatch between one's experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender, lasting at least 6 months.

Diagnostic criteria for prepubertal children

Six symptoms must be present to diagnose gender dysphoria in children.

Diagnostic criteria for teens and adults

Two symptoms must be present to diagnose gender dysphoria in teens and adults.

Transitioning

The process by which transgender individuals may undergo hormone treatment and/or surgery.

Minority representation

The statistics represent a minority of individuals who identify as transgender.

Hormonal Replacement Therapy (HRT)

Hormone prescriptions that allow the individual to develop secondary sex characteristics of the other gender.

Sex reassignment surgery

Surgical procedure to change a person's sex; not everyone can afford it or wants it due to associated risks.

Infanticide

Regular killing of intersex children in many countries.

Nonconsensual surgeries

Surgeries performed on intersex children to make them appear as one sex or the other without consent.

Cosmetic surgeries

Surgeries on intersex kids that are medically unnecessary.