Psychology Term Paper: The transgender mind
RUNNING HEAD: THE TRANSEXUAL MIND
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Psychology 1100
Term Paper: The Transsexual Mind and Development of Transgender
THE TRANSSEXUAL MIND
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Abstract
Discussing the physical aspects of a person identifying as transgender. Articles and journals were chosen with information pertaining to the fact that transgenderidentifying people are not merely facing a biological, physical ailment and rather a psychological illness. Using evidence from MRI brain scans and infant hormone levels, a case is made against being born with a sexuality and gender identity, that they develop at a later time, much after the brain begins to develop. Studies are sampled from a wide verity of ages, genders, and sexualities, exploring past social stigmas and delving deep into the neurological point of view.
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Keywords: transsexual, transgender, gender identity
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THE TRANSSEXUAL MIND
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The Transsexual Mind and Development of Transgender
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Transsexuality and transgenderism is only something we are just grasping the
concept of now in the 21st century. No longer just a decision that one makes on a conscious level, people who identify themselves under the “trans” umbrella generally have a deep rooted connection to their feelings of being born in the wrong body. More and more studies are observing the effects the mind has on gender identity, ranging from prenatal hormones, environmental factors, and genetic disposition. Recent studies and research on the effects of exposure to testosterone in the womb shows that its influence on human sexual orientation is weak to modest. Rather than the overwhelming influence on sexual orientation the researchers had been expecting to find, it is really only approximately 16-27%
(Whitehead, 2012). This finding is for heterosexuality, and the influence on homosexuality and transgender identification should be even less considering only
0.3% of Americans identify themselves as
!
!
Psychology 1100
Term Paper: The Transsexual Mind and Development of Transgender
THE TRANSSEXUAL MIND
!
Abstract
Discussing the physical aspects of a person identifying as transgender. Articles and journals were chosen with information pertaining to the fact that transgenderidentifying people are not merely facing a biological, physical ailment and rather a psychological illness. Using evidence from MRI brain scans and infant hormone levels, a case is made against being born with a sexuality and gender identity, that they develop at a later time, much after the brain begins to develop. Studies are sampled from a wide verity of ages, genders, and sexualities, exploring past social stigmas and delving deep into the neurological point of view.
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
!
Keywords: transsexual, transgender, gender identity
!2
THE TRANSSEXUAL MIND
!3
!
The Transsexual Mind and Development of Transgender
!
Transsexuality and transgenderism is only something we are just grasping the
concept of now in the 21st century. No longer just a decision that one makes on a conscious level, people who identify themselves under the “trans” umbrella generally have a deep rooted connection to their feelings of being born in the wrong body. More and more studies are observing the effects the mind has on gender identity, ranging from prenatal hormones, environmental factors, and genetic disposition. Recent studies and research on the effects of exposure to testosterone in the womb shows that its influence on human sexual orientation is weak to modest. Rather than the overwhelming influence on sexual orientation the researchers had been expecting to find, it is really only approximately 16-27%
(Whitehead, 2012). This finding is for heterosexuality, and the influence on homosexuality and transgender identification should be even less considering only
0.3% of Americans identify themselves as
References: Berenbaum, S. A., & Beltz, A. M. (2011). Sexual differentiation of human Morange, I., et al. (2012) Is hormonal therapy associated with better quality Savic, I., Arver, S. (2011) Sex dimorphism of the brain in male-to-female Young, R. (2011) Hormones, context, and “brain gender”: A review of evidence