Gender Identity Psy/265 Week 3 Assignment

There are many factors that can determine gender identity. There is continuous research comparing the affect of both biology and environment on gender identity. Gender identity is almost always chromosomal sex although that isn't enough to rule out the affect of environment. Intersexuals are rare individuals who posses the typical external genitalia while possessing ambiguous sexual organs of the other sex. There are also hermaphrodites who possess both testicular and ovarian tissue. These two factors that determine gender identity are caused by hormonal factors in prenatal development. Hermaphrodites usually assume the gender identity of the sex assignment at birth. A sex assignment is the process of determining the sex of a child at birth. Intersexualism has given scientists a chance to compare environment and biology. Intersexualism means a person possesses a whole, either male or female reproductive organs. They also possess internal or external tissue of the other sex.
Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia is a form of intersexualism in which a genetic female has internal female sexual structures but masculinized external genitals. Androgen-insensitivity syndrome is a form of intersexualism in which a genetic male is prenatally insensitive to androgens such that his genitals are not normally masculinized. Dominican Republic Syndrome is a form intersexualism in which a genetic enzyme disorder prevents testosterone from masculinizing the external genitalia. CAH is caused by exposure to androgens which are produced naturally through adrenal or mothers may have received synthetic androgens to prevent miscarriage in women who have a family history of miscarriages. Research has been done on CAH and results have shown that girls with CAH act more like a boy. They are more interested in masculine toys such as trucks while girls without are more interested in playing with dolls. Girls with CAH show more aggression in play and tend to have more male friends