GENDER DYSPHORIA
overview
gender dysphoria effects males more than females
medical interventions = masculinising or feminising hormones can be taken to alter physical features, with the ultimate remedy being gender reassignment surgery
a condition where an individuals gender identity does not match their biological sex
genetic explanations
a gene variant in the androgen receptor, which influences the action of testosterone and is involved in the masculinisation
Hare et al 2009 - looked at the DNA of 112 MtF transgender ppts and found they were more likely to have a longer version of the androgen receptor gene
an inherited abnormality
there is reduced action of testosterone, may under masculine the brain in the womb
lacks explanatory power - cannot explain people who are FtM
Zucker et al 2008
only 12% were still gender dysphoric at age 18
supporting the idea that the majority of people exhibit gender dysphoria do only in the short term
performed a longitudinal on 25 gender dysphoric between 2-3 years of age
argues that gender dysphoria does not persist after puberty
brain sex theory
BSTc in the thalamus has been studied
BSTc is twice as large in a heterosexual male brain compared to a heterosexual female brain
male and female brain are different
individuals with gender dysphoria has the BSTc that corresponds to their gender rather than their sex
Social
Suggests that gender dysphoria may be learned by observation and imitation of individuals modelling cross gender behaviour - SLT
individuals may be reinforced for exhibiting cross gender behaviour - operant conditioning
researchers have suggested that gender dysphoria is linked to mental illness, which may be a result of childhood trauma or a difficult upbringing