Gender Identity Paper
Gender Identity Paper
Inside the human body there are hormones which are chemicals that release into the human body by cells or glands which have direct influence over other cells in the body. The system that regulates these hormones is called the endocrine system. Hormones play an integral part in the human body regulating many bodily functions from growth to the fight or flight reflex, puberty, hunger, sex drive, the immune system and, even human behavior. Two of the most commonly known hormones are estrogen in the female body and testosterone in the male body. The endocrine system in the human body is responsible for so much activity in the human body that if the endocrine system is not properly maintained it cause serious damage to …show more content…
the normal functions of the body.
The effects of hormonal influence in the determination of sexual gender identity takes place within the womb as the fetus of unborn humans is being created. During gestation the level of androgens, which are male hormones like testosterone usually determine whether a fetus develops into a female or male member of the human species. Some researchers believe that these androgen levels in the unborn fetus allow the human brain to be organized differently, which can produce behavioral differences later in life. According to “National Institutes of Health” (2013), “Androgens play a prominent role in the organization or programming of brain circuits, which are subsequently activated by gonadal steroids. In humans, roles for androgens have been described, albeit inconsistently, in the regulation of sexuality, aggression, cognition, emotion, and personality. The relevance of androgens for psychiatry is further suggested by gender-related differences in pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and in the prevalence, course, and treatment response characteristics of several psychiatric disorders.” (para. 2).
At the time of initial creation the future fetus and future human being consists of only a single, fertilized egg (except in the case of twins). Each egg begins a process of cell division that continues until the eggs grow into a fetus and eventually into a full-term human child. During the gestation period around the seventh week of gestation the gonads within the fetus begin to differentiate between the male or female human. This differentiation is accomplished in the seventh week of a male and if the fetus is directed by the chromosomes to become eventually a female, this differentiation will begin around the 13 or 14th week of growth.
Once the growing fetus has differentiated from either a male or female sexual identity, either the ovaries or testes will begin to produce sex hormones, which will direct the building of the various internal and external genital systems for either the male or female human being.
The prenatal period is one of the most important stages in a human beings’ development as it relates to gender identity.
The second most important stage is the stage known as puberty. “The physiological process that underlies puberty in both genders is a marked increase in levels of sex hormones. Thus the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads control the changes. Perhaps the most important single event in the process is the first ejaculation for the male and the first menstruation for the female, although the latter is not necessarily a sign of reproductive capability, since girls typically do not produce mature eggs until a year or two after the first menstruation”. (Raven, …show more content…
2012).
The argument of nature versus nurture is one of the oldest debates and one of the most contested issues in the realm of psychology. The debate is centered on which has the biggest influence on human behavior, environmental factors or genetic traits that have been inherited from a previous generation.
While the biological component of a person’s gender identity and sexual differentiation can be very basic and straightforward when the human was created in the womb.
A certain combination and amount of either XX chromosomes or the combination of XY chromosomes, and the biological predetermination was made during gestation that this specific human being would be created as a man or a woman. The person created in the womb would be endowed with certain desires and biological needs and a physically, a sexual orientation of either a man or a woman. This is the basic premise of the nature aspect of the nature versus nurture argument. Every person is created to be physically a man or a woman and there is nothing that the environment can adjust or modify to change the basic nature and makeup of a person’s physical being and body composition.
In the nurture side of the nature versus nurture argument and debate, scientists will argue that biological makeup alone does not determine gender identity, but gender identity is a mixture of both the biological and the effects of social stimulus, or
socialization.
One example of the nurture aspect of the nature versus nurture debate, let us assume that identical twins are born and they are the children of a known violent offender and lifelong, habitual criminal who has spent most of his life in prison for his violent behavior. Let us assume that the two identical twins are separated at birth with one child remaining in the violent home of the wife of the criminal and the other child is raised in a home with loving, nurturing parents in a stable, caring home. What are the chances that both children will grow up to be violent criminals like their biological father? Chances are the child left with the broken home will be more likely to be a criminal versus the child that raised in a nurturing, caring, and loving home.
Gender socialization is the how, why, where, when, and who by which both women and men learn and develop their own expectations and the expectations of society associated with their sex. Each person is physically created with the appropriate tools to fulfill the sexual differentiation that they were born with. The process of socialization involves every aspect of a person’s life; from social and political ideas, relationships with family and friends, school, peers, religious affiliations, the effect of mass media and popular culture, and also the way that a person identifies with their own self-image. Through socialization a person can either receive negative or positive reflections and approval or disapproval for their sexual identity and orientation. These are the strongest sources of socially acceptable behavior and can influence heavily upon the person who may be searching for his or her own sexual identity.
It is my considered opinion after processing and having weighed the information and research that I have conducted in regard to gender identity and sexual orientation that I am convinced that each man or woman may be born as either a man or woman, physically; however, there are instances when a man or woman perhaps have received more of the X chromosomes or more of the Y chromosomes when he or she are created. This possibility of having a person born physically as a man and have the predetermination based upon his or her genetic makeup to be genetically more of a woman than he or she are physically a male is an intriguing argument. The same statement can be made for the case of a woman being born with the physical attributes of a female and yet have the genetic makeup of a man.
The two cases described in the previous paragraph is where I believe nurture takes the necessary steps and allows the man born as a woman or the woman born as a man to explore his or her own gender identity and if everything in this person’s life is accessible and this person is allowed to explore their own gender identity, there are portions of our society that will allow these people to explore his or her true gender identity, regardless of what they were physically born as, man or woman.
The arguments about sexual identity and how men and women determine their own sexuality and sexual orientation has been a heated debate for decades. In fact, at one point the American Psychological Association listed homosexuality as a mental disorder. “Subsequent research has led the American Psychological Association to remove homosexuality from its list of diagnoses and disorders”. (APA, 2003). According to Charles Darwin,”… we do not even in the least know the final cause of sexuality. The whole subject is hidden in darkness. Social theorists argue that an individual’s upbringing can influence directly this [sexual orientation]. Also tied in with many of these debates is the morality of homosexuality”. (Johnson, 2003) The human body, as described earlier in this paper has an endocrine system that can produce or overproduce hormones in ways that allow a physically described man or a physically described woman to have different sexual identities and gender identities. With this biological information, the argument for sexual identity being a moral choice can be eliminated entirely. The argument about gender identity is one that will more than likely endure for decades to come. According to The Nature-Nurture Controversy; “The debate endures because both sides have the ability to create a scientific environment to support their cause. For example, biological theorists may argue that a monkey and human child, reared in the same setting, will develop with vastly different outcomes, while social theorists may argue that monozygotic twins, one reared normally and the other raised in seclusion for 18 years, will also develop with vastly different results, but different even more from the first scenario.”
Gender Identity is an entirely personal and individual choice. Heterosexual males and females are not burdened with the “choice” of deciding whether or not to “come out” of the closet and declare their sexual identity, perhaps because of their genetic makeup with each male and female having the proper amounts of chromosomes in their genes. For some human beings this may not be the case. Some people are born with more than the normal amount of X’s or Y’s in their genetic makeup and are environmentally and socially reared in an environment that established the normal behaviors of males and females, while these individuals are not entirely male or female. The case for continued research and scientific study is plain and simple to make. Modern scientists and researchers are just beginning to unlock the secrets of the genetic code and are discovering new genes and their functions on a regular basis. With new research and studies more questions as well as answers will be discovered on how gender identity, human behavior and the way that heredity and environmental stimulus affect sexual orientation and gender identity.
References:
National Institutes of Health. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8678193
J. Herbert
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences Vol. 199, No. 1136, A Discussion on Turning Points in Zoological Science (Dec. 13, 1977), pp. 425-443
Raven, J. (2012). Sex Hormones and Sexual Differentiation (5th ed.). : McGraw-Hill.
APA Online. “Answers to Your Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality.” Online. 11 April 2003. Available http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/answers.html.
Johnson, R.D. (2003). All Psych Journal. Retrieved from http://allpsych.com/journal/homosexuality.html
Fujita, Frank. “The Nature-Nurture Controversy.” Online. 8 April 2003. Available http://www.iusb.edu/~ffujita/Documents/nn.html
Inside the human body there are hormones which are chemicals that release into the human body by cells or glands which have direct influence over other cells in the body. The system that regulates these hormones is called the endocrine system. Hormones play an integral part in the human body regulating many bodily functions from growth to the fight or flight reflex, puberty, hunger, sex drive, the immune system and, even human behavior. Two of the most commonly known hormones are estrogen in the female body and testosterone in the male body. The endocrine system in the human body is responsible for so much activity in the human body that if the endocrine system is not properly maintained it cause serious damage to …show more content…
the normal functions of the body.
The effects of hormonal influence in the determination of sexual gender identity takes place within the womb as the fetus of unborn humans is being created. During gestation the level of androgens, which are male hormones like testosterone usually determine whether a fetus develops into a female or male member of the human species. Some researchers believe that these androgen levels in the unborn fetus allow the human brain to be organized differently, which can produce behavioral differences later in life. According to “National Institutes of Health” (2013), “Androgens play a prominent role in the organization or programming of brain circuits, which are subsequently activated by gonadal steroids. In humans, roles for androgens have been described, albeit inconsistently, in the regulation of sexuality, aggression, cognition, emotion, and personality. The relevance of androgens for psychiatry is further suggested by gender-related differences in pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics and in the prevalence, course, and treatment response characteristics of several psychiatric disorders.” (para. 2).
At the time of initial creation the future fetus and future human being consists of only a single, fertilized egg (except in the case of twins). Each egg begins a process of cell division that continues until the eggs grow into a fetus and eventually into a full-term human child. During the gestation period around the seventh week of gestation the gonads within the fetus begin to differentiate between the male or female human. This differentiation is accomplished in the seventh week of a male and if the fetus is directed by the chromosomes to become eventually a female, this differentiation will begin around the 13 or 14th week of growth.
Once the growing fetus has differentiated from either a male or female sexual identity, either the ovaries or testes will begin to produce sex hormones, which will direct the building of the various internal and external genital systems for either the male or female human being.
The prenatal period is one of the most important stages in a human beings’ development as it relates to gender identity.
The second most important stage is the stage known as puberty. “The physiological process that underlies puberty in both genders is a marked increase in levels of sex hormones. Thus the hypothalamus, pituitary, and gonads control the changes. Perhaps the most important single event in the process is the first ejaculation for the male and the first menstruation for the female, although the latter is not necessarily a sign of reproductive capability, since girls typically do not produce mature eggs until a year or two after the first menstruation”. (Raven, …show more content…
2012).
The argument of nature versus nurture is one of the oldest debates and one of the most contested issues in the realm of psychology. The debate is centered on which has the biggest influence on human behavior, environmental factors or genetic traits that have been inherited from a previous generation.
While the biological component of a person’s gender identity and sexual differentiation can be very basic and straightforward when the human was created in the womb.
A certain combination and amount of either XX chromosomes or the combination of XY chromosomes, and the biological predetermination was made during gestation that this specific human being would be created as a man or a woman. The person created in the womb would be endowed with certain desires and biological needs and a physically, a sexual orientation of either a man or a woman. This is the basic premise of the nature aspect of the nature versus nurture argument. Every person is created to be physically a man or a woman and there is nothing that the environment can adjust or modify to change the basic nature and makeup of a person’s physical being and body composition.
In the nurture side of the nature versus nurture argument and debate, scientists will argue that biological makeup alone does not determine gender identity, but gender identity is a mixture of both the biological and the effects of social stimulus, or
socialization.
One example of the nurture aspect of the nature versus nurture debate, let us assume that identical twins are born and they are the children of a known violent offender and lifelong, habitual criminal who has spent most of his life in prison for his violent behavior. Let us assume that the two identical twins are separated at birth with one child remaining in the violent home of the wife of the criminal and the other child is raised in a home with loving, nurturing parents in a stable, caring home. What are the chances that both children will grow up to be violent criminals like their biological father? Chances are the child left with the broken home will be more likely to be a criminal versus the child that raised in a nurturing, caring, and loving home.
Gender socialization is the how, why, where, when, and who by which both women and men learn and develop their own expectations and the expectations of society associated with their sex. Each person is physically created with the appropriate tools to fulfill the sexual differentiation that they were born with. The process of socialization involves every aspect of a person’s life; from social and political ideas, relationships with family and friends, school, peers, religious affiliations, the effect of mass media and popular culture, and also the way that a person identifies with their own self-image. Through socialization a person can either receive negative or positive reflections and approval or disapproval for their sexual identity and orientation. These are the strongest sources of socially acceptable behavior and can influence heavily upon the person who may be searching for his or her own sexual identity.
It is my considered opinion after processing and having weighed the information and research that I have conducted in regard to gender identity and sexual orientation that I am convinced that each man or woman may be born as either a man or woman, physically; however, there are instances when a man or woman perhaps have received more of the X chromosomes or more of the Y chromosomes when he or she are created. This possibility of having a person born physically as a man and have the predetermination based upon his or her genetic makeup to be genetically more of a woman than he or she are physically a male is an intriguing argument. The same statement can be made for the case of a woman being born with the physical attributes of a female and yet have the genetic makeup of a man.
The two cases described in the previous paragraph is where I believe nurture takes the necessary steps and allows the man born as a woman or the woman born as a man to explore his or her own gender identity and if everything in this person’s life is accessible and this person is allowed to explore their own gender identity, there are portions of our society that will allow these people to explore his or her true gender identity, regardless of what they were physically born as, man or woman.
The arguments about sexual identity and how men and women determine their own sexuality and sexual orientation has been a heated debate for decades. In fact, at one point the American Psychological Association listed homosexuality as a mental disorder. “Subsequent research has led the American Psychological Association to remove homosexuality from its list of diagnoses and disorders”. (APA, 2003). According to Charles Darwin,”… we do not even in the least know the final cause of sexuality. The whole subject is hidden in darkness. Social theorists argue that an individual’s upbringing can influence directly this [sexual orientation]. Also tied in with many of these debates is the morality of homosexuality”. (Johnson, 2003) The human body, as described earlier in this paper has an endocrine system that can produce or overproduce hormones in ways that allow a physically described man or a physically described woman to have different sexual identities and gender identities. With this biological information, the argument for sexual identity being a moral choice can be eliminated entirely. The argument about gender identity is one that will more than likely endure for decades to come. According to The Nature-Nurture Controversy; “The debate endures because both sides have the ability to create a scientific environment to support their cause. For example, biological theorists may argue that a monkey and human child, reared in the same setting, will develop with vastly different outcomes, while social theorists may argue that monozygotic twins, one reared normally and the other raised in seclusion for 18 years, will also develop with vastly different results, but different even more from the first scenario.”
Gender Identity is an entirely personal and individual choice. Heterosexual males and females are not burdened with the “choice” of deciding whether or not to “come out” of the closet and declare their sexual identity, perhaps because of their genetic makeup with each male and female having the proper amounts of chromosomes in their genes. For some human beings this may not be the case. Some people are born with more than the normal amount of X’s or Y’s in their genetic makeup and are environmentally and socially reared in an environment that established the normal behaviors of males and females, while these individuals are not entirely male or female. The case for continued research and scientific study is plain and simple to make. Modern scientists and researchers are just beginning to unlock the secrets of the genetic code and are discovering new genes and their functions on a regular basis. With new research and studies more questions as well as answers will be discovered on how gender identity, human behavior and the way that heredity and environmental stimulus affect sexual orientation and gender identity.
References:
National Institutes of Health. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8678193
J. Herbert
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences Vol. 199, No. 1136, A Discussion on Turning Points in Zoological Science (Dec. 13, 1977), pp. 425-443
Raven, J. (2012). Sex Hormones and Sexual Differentiation (5th ed.). : McGraw-Hill.
APA Online. “Answers to Your Questions About Sexual Orientation and Homosexuality.” Online. 11 April 2003. Available http://www.apa.org/pubinfo/answers.html.
Johnson, R.D. (2003). All Psych Journal. Retrieved from http://allpsych.com/journal/homosexuality.html
Fujita, Frank. “The Nature-Nurture Controversy.” Online. 8 April 2003. Available http://www.iusb.edu/~ffujita/Documents/nn.html