Gender Development Essay

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A topic that has been widely debated about and heavily studied throughout history is that of what makes up an individual’s gender identity and how does it develop. Gender identity can be described as a person's private sense of their own gender, which refers to whether or not an individual has a sense of acceptance of the male or female gender, or in some cases a third non-sexual gender, in which an individual is not comfortable with being defined as a particular sex. In most societies, there exists a gender norm in which the ideals of masculinity and femininity in all aspects of gender and sex (gender identity, gender expression and biological sex) and taught and learned. When looking at the history of gender development, one must understand the idea of gender, learn gender role standards and stereotypes, identify with the individual's parents, and learn how one forms a gender preference. In 1905 Sigmund Freud introduced his theory of psychosexual development, that is, five stages of an individual’s life from birth and onward, in order to explain how one develops and identifies with their own gender. Freud’s five stages: The Oral Stage, which takes place during approximately the first 18 months of a child’s life, where oral stimulation is the center fixation as an infant learns how to suckle and feed, the Anal Stage, which takes place anywhere from the first to the third year of a child’s life, where the individual begins to control bladder and bowel movements, the Phallic Stage, which usually takes place around age 3-7, where the child first becomes aware of their own genitalia, as well as begin to distinguish the difference between the male and female genders. This stage is where Freud also hypothesized the idea of the Oe... ... middle of paper ... ...der identity. Alternatively, some people who experience gender dysphoria decide to keep the genitalia that they were born with, and in addition adopt a gender role that they feel is consistent with what they perceive as their gender identity. Today, there are many new advances and changing views in terms of gender identity. Opinions of the general public are now becoming more open minded and more accepting of individuals who are a part of the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgendered (LGBT) community. Traditional male and female stereotypes are now becoming obsolete. Furthermore, a new practice, referred to by psychiatrists and psychologists as gender neutrality, is being encouraged, in which there are no gender stereotypes and individuals are not distinguished by their genders, in hopes that children will become more comfortable with themselves and their feelings.

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