Gender Identity
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- Date Submitted: 07/06/2010 02:00 PM
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Gender Identity
Axia College of University of Phoenix
What is gender identity? What determines gender identity? Many people today are trying to understand what gender identity is. “Our gender identity is our psychological awareness or sense of being male or being female and one of the most obvious and important aspects of our self-concepts” (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2005 p. 175 ¶ 5). Gender identity is considered the most important part of each individual’s self-concept and is also the most obvious. Gender identity is usually but not always the same as the individual’s anatomic sex.
There are several factors that help determine gender identity. Gender identity is almost always consistent with chromosomal sex. This does not necessarily mean that gender identity is determined biologically. People tend to be reared as either males or females. Gender identity is said to be influenced by both biological and psychosocial factors.
Gender is not only biological, it is psychological and social. “Gender is defined as the psychological sense of being female or being male and the roles society ascribes to gender. Gender is a complex concept that is based partly on anatomy, partly on the psychology of the individual, and partly on culture and tradition” (Rathus, et al., 2005 p. 170 ¶ 2).
Most people think of masculinity and femininity as opposite ends of a continuum. Most people think that the more masculine a person is the less feminine that person is. So for example, a man who shows more stereotypical feminine traits like nurturance, tenderness and emotionality is many times considered less masculine than other men. Women who are driven, competitive and tenacious are more often seen as masculine. These are stereotypes. “A stereotype is a fixed, conventional— and often distorted—idea about a group of people” (Rathus, et al., 2005 p. 184 ¶ 1).
There are three factors in my life that have helped determine my own gender identity. First, I have...
Axia College of University of Phoenix
What is gender identity? What determines gender identity? Many people today are trying to understand what gender identity is. “Our gender identity is our psychological awareness or sense of being male or being female and one of the most obvious and important aspects of our self-concepts” (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2005 p. 175 ¶ 5). Gender identity is considered the most important part of each individual’s self-concept and is also the most obvious. Gender identity is usually but not always the same as the individual’s anatomic sex.
There are several factors that help determine gender identity. Gender identity is almost always consistent with chromosomal sex. This does not necessarily mean that gender identity is determined biologically. People tend to be reared as either males or females. Gender identity is said to be influenced by both biological and psychosocial factors.
Gender is not only biological, it is psychological and social. “Gender is defined as the psychological sense of being female or being male and the roles society ascribes to gender. Gender is a complex concept that is based partly on anatomy, partly on the psychology of the individual, and partly on culture and tradition” (Rathus, et al., 2005 p. 170 ¶ 2).
Most people think of masculinity and femininity as opposite ends of a continuum. Most people think that the more masculine a person is the less feminine that person is. So for example, a man who shows more stereotypical feminine traits like nurturance, tenderness and emotionality is many times considered less masculine than other men. Women who are driven, competitive and tenacious are more often seen as masculine. These are stereotypes. “A stereotype is a fixed, conventional— and often distorted—idea about a group of people” (Rathus, et al., 2005 p. 184 ¶ 1).
There are three factors in my life that have helped determine my own gender identity. First, I have...