Influences on Gender Development
Gender is the characteristics which confirm a person to be masculine or feminine. It is far much different from sex which defines a male and a female. These goes hand in hand with gender roles. Besides gender identity, it is accompanied by the attribution of different cultures to define the sexes (male or female). Gender is influenced by a variety of factors: control by parents, inherent powers, media, sibling influence and also the biological impact. Gender identity involves awareness of a person's sex and that of others, and then it leads to gender stability. It accompanies sexual orientation. During development, the brain is influenced by sex hormones (Crain, 2010). Children acquire their identity at the age of 3 years; they can identify themselves as male or female. Children develop their character through observation and mimicking certain behaviours. John Colapinto based his literacy writing on a boy who was raised as a girl to expound on the biological and hormonal influence on gender identity. However, gender power has a significant impact on the development of a human being. The essay seeks to discuss the effect of sex development on gender identity basing the arguments on three theories: gender essentialism, gender environmentalism and gender constructivism.
Gender Essentialism
It is an approach defined as the character determining the aspect of an organism and it remains unchanged. It is the biological and genetic causes as explanations for human social behaviour. Behaviour is learnt, but according to societal culture, a person will still be female or male depending on beliefs. It bases its primary emphasis on biological and hormonal changes in the genetic makeup. Additionally, Colapinto writes about the boy (David) who went for circumcision, but his genital organs got destroyed during circumcision. Following medical intervention David was made as a girl (Brenda), she was forced to undergo vaginal surgery (Colapinto, 2001). The doctors saw that gender identity could be learned, but after some time, at the ages between (9-11) years David failed to identify himself as a girl. And at his 15th birthday, he declared that he was a boy. David had to nature his behaviour to suit that of a girl; however, he had to dress like a man. Despite all mechanism to make him a girl the hormones made him a male, a fact that could not be replaced (Griggs, 2004). From this case it is evident that the power of male dominated the girl nature despite the biological and hormonal changes.
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Under the circumstances offered by Dr Money to David/Brenda's development, he had the inner fight and was depressed of growing up as a girl. He could not enjoy his boy life. He could not bear putting on makeup, lipstick and crossing the legs because his mind did not match his physical body. Basically, in real life, some people act as different sexes, but it would be hard to leave the characteristics.
Gender Environmentalism
Gender environmentalism is the cultural definition of being male or female in the construct of the environment. Throughout the life of a child, their gender identity is reinforced by gender role. Boys like to be rough, and their activities revolve around aggression while girls prefer to work on light activities. Nevertheless, a disorder arises for the case of weak development, making girls be tomboys and boys to sissy boys. As the child becomes an adolescent, their influences would be sexuality, personality traits and peers (Caldwell, & Flanagan, 2004). However, in Colapinto's literacy writing, gender is defined in the home environment. The theory of gender environmentalism with regards to Brenda/David's development can be illustrated from his writing at the point when she went to a bathroom in kindergarten and stood up. The society and culture prohibit a girl to stand while in the bathroom. It beats logic for her to sit, as the body commands for her to stand. As a result, Brenda was prohibited from the girl's bathroom, and the only way she could go the bathroom was if she sneaked out. (Colapinto, 2001)
He was born a boy, but he could not prove it then again he was left lonely. The body was rebellious of being a girl yet also she could not enjoy both her boy and girl life. Once the male gene dominates nothing else can be done to change the sex even if it would mean nature (Cardwell & Flanagan, 2004).
Gender Constructivism
It is a theory that demonstrates that behaviour depends on culture and beliefs. People do construct their understanding and knowledge of the world, through experience. Children are born as a blank slate according to Skinner. They observe the environment and process it to generate their behaviours. Children further go to the point of mimicking roles to create their routine. With the emphasis on Brenda/David's development, it was inappropriate to go to the bathroom and stand up. In role playing, a male child act as a father and a girl serves as a mother. The boy cannot act a mother because of the governing conceptual framework. Comparatively, behaviour is natured from the social structure of a society. In other words, Brenda did not take up the learning to be a girl according to Levy Vygotsky described from the gender schema theory. She did not presume the expectations because girls model behaviours of other girls (Crain, 2010).
It would have been heard for David to learn and synchronise the female traits. However all long he was never a girl, his mind and body could not allow him to have the female characteristics because of the differentiated socio-cultural construction of a boy and a girl's roles
Given these points on gender development theory, gender essentialism had the most power in identifying gender. It is because of the essence of reality. David was a man, and there is no way he could have learnt to be a girl given the hormonal changes (Colapinto, 2001). A man and a woman are born with different biological makeup. When the hormones are modified, the incorporation would be relative. Even though David had to be a girl, he still had the male hormones which dominated the female genes.
In conclusion, the human body comprises of hormones which are carried by the bloodstream. However there impacts on body parts differs with the amount of hormones. Men have specific hormones relative to the female. Essentialism is about the existence of the functional hormones, while contructivism is mainly about the acquisition of charecteristics. To sum up, the three theories emphasise on how biological and hormonal changes are incorporated in people’s daily living. Surgery can convert the physique; from male to female or female to male, but the hormones and the mind cannot be changed. It is now the way of living for people in western countries although it has major drawbacks as per the essay.
References
Colapinto, J. (2001). As nature made him: the boy who was raised as a girl . New York: Perennial.
Crain, W. (2010). Theories of development: concepts and applications . London: Routledge
Caldwell, M., & Flanagan, C. (2004). Psychology a2: the complete companion . Cheltenham: Nelson Thornes
Griggs, C., & Griggs, C. (2004). Journal of a sex change: Passage through Trinidad . Oxford: Berg.
