When Should Transgender Identification Begin - Youth or Adulthood

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Recommended: Application of situational approach

Research on Transgender Identification in Youth or Adulthood
The question at hand is whether or not it is more beneficial for a person with gender dysphoria to be able to express the gender for which they identify with at a young age, or later, in adulthood.
In regards to sociology, symbolic interactionism is ideal for examining the way in which sociological theory relates to transgender issues. This is because symbolic interactionism is the study of how people relate to one another and their environment, but specifically how the relations between each other have an effect on their environment. Blumer’s conceptualization of symbolic interactionism, known as the situational approach is the one most often used in sex research (Longmore, 1998). This is because it emphasizes that sexuality is socially constructed and is different for everyone (Longmore, 1998). Using symbolic interactionism to inform the research would prove to be beneficial because the question itself is asking about interactions between parents and their children who are gender dysphoric as well as the interaction between others in their lives, such as other children, other parents, and as adults, their relationships with their parents who may not have let them identify at a young age.

The situational approach of symbolic interactionism emphasizes that people change their roles depending on their situations in life, and each person does this in a different way (Longmore, 1998). In this sense, when a child and parent are coming to the realization that the child does not align with their gender role they are each going to approach the situation differently. Also, an adult would respond differently to transitioning than would a child. Furthermore, the people...

... middle of paper ...

... to do with interactions and role performances as well as self-perception.

Works Cited

Burke, P. J. (2006). Identity theory. In Contemporary social psychological theories. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
Longmore, M. A. (1998). Symbolic interactionism and the study of sexuality. The Journal of Sex Research, 35(1), 44-57. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.ezproxy.lib.usf.edu/stable/3813164
Nuttbrock, L., Rosenblum, A., & Blumenstein, R. (2002). Transgender identity affirmation and mental health []. The International Journal of Transgenderism, 6(4). Retrieved from http://www.transgenderchimera.com/aioshcom/TG5.pdf
Vanderburgh, R. (2008, November 6). Appropriate therapeutic care for families with pre-pubescent transgender/gender-dissonant children []. Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal, 26(2), 135-154. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1007/s10560-008-0158-5.

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