Essay about Gender Identity - 1074 Words

The development of gender awareness is fundamental for our sense of self and is also predominant in any assessment made of another person as from birth on people respond differently to males and females. Gender identity can be seen as one of the earliest social categories that children learn to apply to both themselves and other people. This is suggested in Schaffer’s (1996) definition where gender identity is the correct labelling of self and others as male or female. There are three main theories that have been explored which all suggest multiple ways in which gender awareness is developed: Bandura, Kohlburg and the Gender Scheme Theory. Firstly, Bandura (1977) notes that the idea that social influences clearly plays a very significant†¦show more content†¦Therefore, this shows that the development of gender awareness and identity has been the topic of many debates, thus showing how important the development of gender awareness is. Sex role development begins in infancy and is a basic component of a stable identity throughout life and it can be suggested that the key component to identity formation are the social influences. This includes parental expectations, peer relationships and social experience that result in conforming to the gender stereotypes. Research into this has explored the ways in which parents and children interact with each other. From the beginning, parents tend to treat their child by their sex, ranging from the name given to the baby, to toys and furnishings. This, therefore, places the child into one category or another. The seemingly simple act of decorating a room or providing access to various play things is intimately connected with factors of adult influence. For example, this is shown in a study by Rheingold and Cook (1975) who showed how boys’ rooms were more likely to be blue and filled with toy vehicles, sports equipment and stereotypical male items. Girls’ rooms on the other hand tended to be decorated with floral wallpaper and lace, and would be more likely to contain dolls and more feminine objects. This experiment is supportedShow MoreRelatedGender And Gender Identity And Development1303 Words   |  6 Pagesthroughout the years. However, gender identity and development is something that has been both misunderstood and misconstrued by people for quite some time. The differences between â€Å"gender† and â€Å"sex† is quite vast. According to John Carl: Gender is defined as the personal traits and position in society connected with being male or female. For instance, wearing high heels is associated with the female gender, while wearing combat boots is associated with the male gender. Gender is different from sex becauseRead MoreGender And : Gender Identity Disorder1287 Words   |  6 PagesGender Dysphoria, formerly known as Gender Identity Disorder, is described by the DSM-IV as a persistent and strong cross-gender identification and a persistent unease with ones sex. However, gender identity is not diagnosed as such if it is comorbid with a physical intersex condition. Gender dysphoria is not to be confused with sexual orientation, as people with gender dysphoria could be attracted to men, women, or both. According to an article written by, Australasian Sciences there are fourRead MoreThe Concept of Gender and Gender Identity1223 Words   |  5 Pages I am interested in the concept of gender and the deeper meaning of being considered a transgendered person. I feel that a lot of people do not know or care to know about these topics on a more in depth level. People who close their eyes to the idea that a person could be born with the physical aspects of a male yet have the psychological aspects of a female and vice versa, tend to be the ones who say that those people are going against nature or god. Discriminating against people on the principlesRead MoreGender And Gender Identity Disorder2178 Words   |  9 Pageswe re born, our gender identity is no secret. We re either a boy or a girl. Gender organizes our world into pink or blue. As we grow up, most of us naturally fit into our gender roles. Girls wear dresses and play with dolls. For boys, it s pants and trucks.† (Goldbur g, A.2007) However, for some, this is not the case. Imagine for a moment that you are a two year old boy drawn to the color pink, make up, and skirts. If this is the case than most likely, you are experiencing Gender Dysphoria, otherwiseRead MoreEssay Gender Identity1902 Words   |  8 PagesGender Identity Gender identity is an extremely relevant topic today. Many people have their own ideas on what is right and what is wrong for each gender to act, and these people are very vocal and opinionated about their ideas. One recent controversial story about gender identity was when a couple refused to tell anybody whether their child named Storm was a boy or a girl. Their oldest child, Jazz, who was originally born male, â€Å"always gravitated to dresses, the colour pink and opted for long hairRead MoreExploring Gender Identity And Gender Roles1809 Words   |  8 PagesEXPLORING GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER ROLES HOMOSEXUALITY Abstract Gender identity display people’s understanding of themselves according to cultural definitions of female and male. In this essay I will attempt to enhance our understanding by exploring different aspects of gender identity, gender roles sexual identity issues. Relying mostly on my research that is conducted in the U.S. EXPLORING GENDER IDENTITY, GENDER ROLES HOMOSEXUALITY Exploring Gender Identity, Gender Roles HomosexualityRead MoreGender Identity : Gender And Masculinity Essay1509 Words   |  7 PagesGender plays an enormous role in every society around the world. There are debates about whether gender is defined by strictly biological characteristics or social attributes. Others argue that gender is a spectrum, rather than the dichotomy of male and female. Masculinity and femininity are sets of attributes, roles and behaviors that are associated with men and boys and girls and women, respectively. Both masculinity and femininity have specific traits that are both biologically and socially definedRead MoreRacial Identity And Gender Identity879 Words   |  4 Pagesdons a pink bow on his head to become â€Å"Erica.† Meanwhile, Randy Marsh (as known as Lorde to most and Stan’s dad) must battle with his gender identity and that of his music as women at his work are uncomfortable with sharing a bathroom with him, therefore he must rece ive his own against his wishes. While both Cartman’s and Randy Marsh’s struggles with their gender identity revolve around the use of a bathroom, through the juxtaposition of the actions of shooting a school and becoming transgender, theRead MoreSocialisation, Personal Identity, Gender Identity And Gender Roles1313 Words   |  6 PagesSocialisation, Personal identity, Gender Identity and Gender Roles: Boundless.com defines ‘Socialisation’ as â€Å"a term used to refer to the lifelong process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and ideologies providing the individual with the skills and habits necessary for precipitating within one’s society, thus the means by which social and cultural continuity are attained† (Boundless.com, 2015). The process of socialisation involves an individual such as an adolescent to have interactionsRead MoreGender, Gender And Gender Identity1113 Words   |  5 Pagesperceptions in hopes of gleaming a bit of insight into gender identity, I had several people say to me that gender was not an issue in their life, and I should just find someone else. Most people never think about their gender or how they express it, or they think that gender and sex are the synonyms ( American Psychiatric Association, 2013). That is, until confronted with a significantly different culturally expressed gender role, or unless your gender identity is not accepted as normal. Therefore the three