Running head: Gender Identity

Gender Identity Daniel Muldoon December 12, 2011 PSY/340 Melynda Marchi

Gender Identity Gender Identity Gender identity is very complex that has areas that relate to a persons genetic inheritance, their physiology, (internal and external), structure of their neurological structure, their endocrine system, sexual orientation, and different factors in the environment and their

social lives. In earlier times, the identity of a persons gender was solely based on the genitals of the individual and the structure of the gonads. It was then decided that gender identity would be based off of the reproductive abilities of the person and the functionality of said persons psyche. There are many different theories on how a persons gender should be identified, but an understanding of all of the different factors need to be taken count for to figure out the more complicated aspects of gender identity and a persons sexual orientation. DNA What makes a person a person is their DNA, and what makes human DNA different from other DNA is that humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes. What also designates the sex of the person is that 23rd chromosome, (Pinel, 2009). The chromosomes are designated by X and Y. If one of the chromosomes is an X and the other is a Y, then the person is a genetic male. If both of the chromosomes are an X, then the person is a genetic female. There are instances that there are deviations of this rule and this result in different syndromes that cause physiological, psychological and varying sexual abnormalities. These abnormalities can cause problems in a females menstrual cycle, mental retardation, and in severe cases can cause a person to be more violent. All of this happens up until the sixth week of gestation in a pregnancy. During these six weeks the fetus has the potential to become either male or female. During this time the fetus has both of the reproduction systems of a male and a female. What happens is that in the sixth week

Gender Identity of gestation, a chemical test happens that sees if there is a Y chromosome in the fetus. If it does the female reproduction system degenerates and if it doesnt the opposite happens. Development Once the fetus has developed the reproduction system of the proper sex, different hormones start to take the sexual development over to help degenerate the sexual organs of the opposite sex. Testosterone will take over for men and help deteriorate the organs of a female, and the lack of testosterone does the same for a female. These hormones, testosterone and

estrogen also have an effect of the development of the neurological system and then the behavior of the person later on. The development of the neural circuitry that happens in this stage also seems to have an effect on the sexual behavior of the person in adulthood. Hormones Hormones are made in different glands throughout the body and are secreted when there is a biological action is needed to take place. An analogy of this is saying that hormones are in control of the performance of the body. Another thing that can be said about hormones is that they help keep the body is a state of homeostasis. This means that the body is being maintained is a manner that is in specific physiological confines that are separate from factors that are in the outside world. Hormones play such a big role in the human body that there are illnesses that occur when there is too little and too much secretion of hormones. Hormones have an effect on the endocrine system that allows communications to and from the nervous systems. Without these communications, there would be no way for the brain to tell the body how to move or react. When thinking about DNA and the hormones that help a person develop, this proves that every person has a gender identity. Even though a male has male reproduction parts, if there is a lack of testosterone, this man may feel more feminine than another male. The same goes for

Gender Identity females. If they have more testosterone then they may feel more masculine than other females.

There is a hypothesis that says that gender is affected by environmental powers like the way that they interact with their parents and other family members. There really isnt any proof that the environment has anything to do with the development of gender identity, it is just a thought that says there could be other factors that help decide the gender. There is also a belief that exposure to hormones at an early stage in life may affect the way the person reacts to hormones later on in their life. This belief does not mean that the affect the hormones have will be a lasting one, it just means that there could be a different reaction with the hormones than another person would have. There have been cases of congenital adrenal hyperplasia, (or CAH), that 250 patients were raised as females and only 32 of them chose sexual reassignment after infancy, while a little over five percent showed that they had gender related issues later on in their life. Out of that five percent only a little over one and a half percent chose to have a gender change. There is another case called partial androgen insensitivity, (or PAIS), that 99 individuals participated in a study to see who would choose sexual reassignment and who wouldnt. In this test only 9 out of the 99 chose to have the sexual reassignment. There are also some people who are afflicted with an enzyme defect of the 5a-RD-2 enzyme, and 56% of the people tested decided sexual reassignment and 39% of people afflicted with the enzyme deficiency of 17b-HSD-3 also chose sexual reassignment, (Cohen-Kettenis, 2005). This may look like a large number of people that are afflicted by intersex conditions and gender confusion, but gender and sex assignment that happens at birth is still the best way for a person to have long term gender identity. There are several theories to why a person is heterosexual and another is homosexual. For men, there has been thoughts that there are makers on parts of the X chromosome that helps

Gender Identity decide if they are homosexual or not. This is not the same in females. There is thoughts that exposure to nicotine in the prenatal period could also affect the sexuality of the person. Other

thoughts to the reason a female turns to lesbianism is that there could be different structure to the suprachiasmatic nucleus, the third interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus, and the commissural anterior, (Swaab, 2004). There is also theories that if a women have had many male children that a biological mechanism may cause the sexual orientation of the individual. (Swaab, 2004). If all of the evidence is looked at, it shows that different genetic, androgenic, and environment factors interact with social factors can help produce different gender identities and sexual orientations in people. Conclusion When looking at everything that happens from birth to the adult years of a person, there are many different factors that play in the gender identity and sexual orientation of a person. With all of the theories that exist, there still has been no direct cause that has been proven to cause the differences between a heterosexual and homosexual. There are many different intersexual problems that can arise from hormones and the development that happens in the womb, but with the technology that is available now, a person can be the gender that they feel like they were meant to be. Sexual assignment that happens during birth still seems like the best way for a person to be given a gender identity, but this is not always the case. There is no one explanation to why one person is one way and another is different, but studies are giving us more clues to what may be causing this. The best thing that can be done is try to understand what is happening during the gestation period and look at all of the factors that involve a person growing into adulthood. Studies can help everyone in understanding the complex happenings of sexual

Gender Identity orientation and help the world in their understanding that this is a natural thing and not something that should be shunned or punished for.

Gender Identity References

Cohen-Kettenis, P. (2005). Psychological long-term outcome in intersex conditions. Hormone Research, 64, 27-30. Retrieved May 29, 2011, from EBSCOHost Database.

Pinel, J. P. J. (2009). Biopsychology (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Swaab, D. F. (2004). Sexual differentiation of the human brain: Relevance for gender identity, transsexualism and sexual orientation. Gynecological Endocrinology, 19(6), 301-312. Retrieved May 29, 2011, from EBSCOHost Database.