How Societ Influences Gender Identity
Introduction The impact of social and cultural norms on the way an adolescent shapes and perceives identity has come under greater scrutiny in recent years. Although societies differ in the specific nature of the attributes associated with maleness and femaleness, each society attempts to communicate the gender norms to children and adolescents through various mechanisms.
Acculturated gender roles have a significant influence on the way parents rear children, which impacts the way the children view themselves. A conflict between the external societal role assigned to an adolescent based on biological gender and the internal gender identity formed by the adolescent can have negative consequences for psychological health. Gender identity involves the fundamental sense of belonging to a gender as defined by societal norms, which may be different from the biological sex of the individual (Vasey & Bartlett, 2007). While most adolescents have a gender identity based on their biological sex, many have a strong psychological identification with the opposite biological sex and may desire to become a member of the opposite sex. If the identification with the opposite sex and the desire to become a member of the opposite sex causes significant psychological distress, it is considered a gender identity disorder (GID) based on the criteria in the DSM-IV. In this construct, the identification with the opposite sex is not in itself a disorder, and must be the source of significant distress sufficient to interfere with life activities. Various factors can influence the development of gender identity among children and adolescents, including parental behaviors and norms, peer norms, and the depiction of the gender roles traditional in the society in various types of media. The cognitive perspective of the development of gender identity suggests that information received from external sources contributes to the formation of gender identity. The amount and quality of the
Acculturated gender roles have a significant influence on the way parents rear children, which impacts the way the children view themselves. A conflict between the external societal role assigned to an adolescent based on biological gender and the internal gender identity formed by the adolescent can have negative consequences for psychological health. Gender identity involves the fundamental sense of belonging to a gender as defined by societal norms, which may be different from the biological sex of the individual (Vasey & Bartlett, 2007). While most adolescents have a gender identity based on their biological sex, many have a strong psychological identification with the opposite biological sex and may desire to become a member of the opposite sex. If the identification with the opposite sex and the desire to become a member of the opposite sex causes significant psychological distress, it is considered a gender identity disorder (GID) based on the criteria in the DSM-IV. In this construct, the identification with the opposite sex is not in itself a disorder, and must be the source of significant distress sufficient to interfere with life activities. Various factors can influence the development of gender identity among children and adolescents, including parental behaviors and norms, peer norms, and the depiction of the gender roles traditional in the society in various types of media. The cognitive perspective of the development of gender identity suggests that information received from external sources contributes to the formation of gender identity. The amount and quality of the
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