Biological and Psychodynamic Approaches to Atypical Gender Development

This page delves deeper into various theories of gender development, providing key studies and explanations for both typical and atypical gender development. It covers biological, cognitive, psychodynamic, and social learning approaches.

The biological perspective on atypical gender development is explored through twin studies:

• Coolidge et al. found 62% of variance in gender dysphoria could be attributed to genetic factors
• Heylens et al. showed higher concordance for gender dysphoria in monozygotic twins compared to dizygotic twins

The brain sex theory is introduced, suggesting that gender dysphoria may have a basis in brain structure:

• The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) is highlighted as a key area of interest
• Kruijver et al. found transgender females had female-sized BST

Vocabulary: BST (bed nucleus of the stria terminalis) - A brain region involved in emotional responses and male sexual behavior in rats, which is typically larger in men than women.

Example: Kruijver et al.'s study found that transgender individuals showed an average BST neuron number in the female range, supporting the brain sex theory.

Highlight: While brain differences have been observed in transgender individuals, it's unclear whether these differences precede or result from hormone therapy.

Social Constructionism and Gender Identity

This page introduces the social constructionist perspective on gender identity and further explores biological theories of gender dysphoria.

Social constructionism argues that gender identity doesn't reflect underlying biological differences but is instead 'invented' by societies. This theory suggests that:

• Gender confusion arises because society forces people to choose between being a man or a woman
• Gender dysphoria is viewed as a social phenomenon resulting from the requirement to choose one of two particular paths

The page also revisits the brain sex theory, discussing limitations of previous studies:

• Many research participants may have undergone hormone therapy, making it difficult to determine if brain differences were pre-existing or resulted from hormonal changes
• Hulfhoff Pol's study used MRI scans to show that the size of the BST changed during hormone treatment in transgender individuals

Quote: "Gender confusion arises because society forces people to be either a man or a woman and they have to pick a side."

Highlight: The social constructionist view challenges biological explanations of gender identity, suggesting that societal expectations and categories create gender-related distress.

Example: The Batista boys study (mentioned but not fully described) likely refers to a case where biologically male children were raised as girls, illustrating the complex interplay between biology and social factors in gender development.

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Atypical Gender Development in AQA A Level Psychology

This page introduces the concept of atypical gender development and provides a recap of typical gender development theories. Gender dysphoria is defined as discomfort or distress due to a mismatch between biological sex and gender identity. The ICD-11 now classifies it under sexual health rather than mental disorders to reduce stigma.

The page reviews major approaches to typical gender development:

• Biological: Focuses on chromosomes and hormones
• Cognitive: Includes Kohlberg's theory and gender schema theory
• Psychodynamic: Emphasizes resolution of Oedipus/Electra complex
• Social learning: Highlights cultural influences and reinforcement

Definition: Gender dysphoria is a condition where a person experiences discomfort or distress because there's a mismatch between their biological sex and gender identity.

Highlight: The reclassification of gender dysphoria in ICD-11 aims to reduce associated stigma by moving it out of the mental disorders section.

Example: Kohlberg's theory suggests that young children's inability to conserve gender impacts their understanding of gender roles and identity.