Social-psychological explanations for gender dysphoria

  • These refer to the perception that dysphoria is a condition learned via socialisation processes

  • Social-psychological explanations of dysphoria are based on Freudian theory and insights from cognitive psychology

Psychoanalytic theory

  • Ovesey and Person (1973) have argued that GID in males is caused by the child experiencing extreme separation anxiety before gender identity is established

    • The child fantasises of a symbolic fusion with his mother to relieve the anxiety, and the danger of separation is removed
      The consequence of this is that the child, in a very real sense, becomes the mother so adopts a female gender identity.

  • Stoller (1973) offers some support for this theory - in interviews with GID males, they were see to display overly close mother-son relationships that would lead to greater female identification and confused gender identity in the long-term

Cognitive theory

  • Liben and Bigler (2002) proposed an extension of the gender schema theory

    • This theory suggests two pathways of gender development - the dual pathway theory

    • The first pathway acknowledges the development of gender schema which then direct gender-appropriate attitudes and behaviour as part of ‘normal’ development

    • The second pathway describes how the development of gender schemas are affected personally by the activities children engage in

    • If an individual’s personal interests become more dominant it can influence gender schema developing

    • In most people this may lead to androgynous behaviour and a more flexible attitude to gender

    • In a small minority of others, it may lead to the eventual formation of an opposite gender identity

Social constructionism is a theoretical framework that suggests that many aspects of our social reality, including knowledge, identities and practices, are not innate but are constructed through social processes and interactions.

  • Cultural norms, social institutions, and interpersonal interactions contribute to the formation and perpetuation of gender roles and identities

  • Through language, societies create and communicate norms and expectations about gender

  • These discourses shape individuals’ perceptions of themselves and others, influencing their behaviours and interactions

  • Confusion starts because society forces people to be either a man or a woman

  • Martha McClintock (2015)

    • Individuals with a genetic condition