Gender Identity In Children

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Recommended: Factors that influence gender identity

How Children Develop Gender Identification
Raven Ri’kenya Coffey
Hillsborough Community College: Brandon Campus
Author Note
This paper was prepared for Psychology 2012, BHUM 206, taught by Dr. Beth Smith.
Abstract
Over the years, psychologists and psychiatrists have discovered a great gender disparity between young girls and young boys. While most agree that gender identification is revealed at birth, this issue is constantly exploited through the use of various tests and practices such as the “Machover Figure-Drawing Test”. In this test, the child is asked to draw a person a sheet of paper. Later, the child is evaluated based on the gender he or she had drawn. Furthermore, this particular exercise is supposed to reflect their gender identity. …show more content…

To maintain a positive outcome in gender identity development, professionals must put themselves in a child’s position when evaluating this disorder. Consequently, they must look at the nature of memory and biological imperatives. The artificiality of many experiments has led some researchers to question whether their findings can be generalized to real life (McLeod, 2007). As stated previously, loop holes must be filled with more accurate results. Psychologists could also benefit from this research through the study of young children suffering from confusion and even suicide. One must understand that children at a younger age are more prone to rejection if gender roles are challenged. Throughout history, gender identity disorder of childhood has presented the greatest challenge for clinicians (Ghosh, 2012). The American Psychological Association (APA) can apply this research by framing the underlying characteristics of gender identity in a more evident and unbiased approach. Milestones in the study of gender development have stimulated epic research from psychologists all over the world. …show more content…

(2013). UWIRE Text, p. 1. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE|A346382372&v=2.1&u=lincclin_hcc&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=66d13597a1165268f11745ad9a16a3af
Green, R. (1971). Diagnosis and treatment of gender identity disorders during childhood [Abstract]. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1(2), 167-173. doi: 10.1007/BF01541061
Hale, M. (2012). Apa considers eliminating gender identity disorder, replace with ‘gender dysphoria’. https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/apa-to-eliminate-gender-identity-disorder-replace-with-gender-dysphoria/
Hill, D. B., Rozanski, C., Carfagnini, J., & Willoughby, B. (2007). Gender identity disorders in childhood and adolescence. International Journal of Sexual Health, 19(1), 57-75. doi: 10.1300/J514v19n01_07
Honigmann, J. J., & Carrera, R. N. (1957). Cross-cultural use of Machover's figure drawing test. American Anthropologist, 59(4), 650-654. doi: 10.1525/aa.1957.59.4.02a00070
McLeod, S. (2007). Memory, encoding storage and retrieval | simply psychology. http://www.simplypsychology.org/memory.html
Office of research & development. (2013). http://www.research.va.gov/currents/fall2013/fall2013-12.cfm
Oswalt, A. (1995). Early childhood gender identity.

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