Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders

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Sexual and Gender Identity Disorders

• Sex, lies, and videotape

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Gender Identity Disorder (GID)

• People with GID identify themselves as a member
  of the opposite sex.
• Differs from sexual orientation (preference for a
  partner of a specific sex).
• A man may be attracted to other men (sexual
  orientation) without believing he is a woman
  (gender identity).

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People with GID

• are born one sex, but identify with the opposite
  sex.
• dont like same-sex clothing activities prefer
  opposite sex clothing, activities
• are not persuaded by their physiology (breasts,
  penis) to identify with their biological sex.
•  
• Will cross-dress to pass for a member of the
  opposite sex may alter body to fit mental
  schema.

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GID often begins in early childhood

• Children
• cross-dress like opposite sex
• engage in opposite-sex play (boys-n-barbies
  girls-n-trees)
•  
• Prevalence 6 times more frequent in boys than
  girls.
•  
• Most children with GID dont grow up to be
  disordered in adulthood.

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Causes of GID

• 1.    Hormones
• Sex hormones taken during pregnancy may influence
  behavior of child.
•  
• Girls whose mothers took progestins-- (precursors
  to male hormones) engage in more rough tumble
  play than their peers.
•  
• Boys whose mothers took estrogens--engage in less
  rough tumble play than their male peers.
• There are no differences in hormones in
  adult males (heterosexual, homosexual,
  transsexual)
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2. Environmental factors 

• Its learned!! Boys reinforced for
  cross-dressing.
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• Parents noticing signs of GID-actually encourage
  GID behaviors.
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• Attractiveness of childmatters
• Boys with GID more attractive than control Ss.
  Girls with GID less attractive than control Ss.
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Therapy

• 1. Altering the Body
•  Person undergoes 6-12 months of psychotherapy
•  hormone treatment (promote breasts, facial hair)
•  
• May undergo reconstructive surgery (chin,
  implants, etc.)
•  
• Sex-reassignment surgery- (create artificial
  penis or vagina)
• Lives life as a member of opposite sex
•  

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2. Altering the persons mental state

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy to get person with
  GID to associate with same sex.

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What are paraphilias?

• a group of disorders involving sexual attraction
  to unusual objects or sexual activities that are
  unusual in nature.
• DSM-IV diagnosis requires
• fantasies, urges, or behaviors must last at least
  6 months cause significant distress or
  impairment.
•  
• E.g., 50 of men, report voyeuristic fantasies
  of peeping at unsuspecting naked women.
• Most people with paraphilias are male

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What is fetishism?

• a reliance on an inanimate object for sexual
  arousal.
• Fetish is recurrent necessary for sexual
  arousal.
• Common fetishes
• Shoes
• Stockings
• rubber products
• raincoats gloves
• fur garments
• underwear
•  

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What does person with fetish do?

• Person may fondle, kiss, smell, suckle object
  while masturbating.
•  
• Partners may don fetish to stimulate arousal
• Attraction felt toward object is uncontrollable
  irresistible.
• Onset during adolescence or earlier.
•  

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What is transvestism?

• Person is sexually aroused while cross-dressing.
• Male still regards himself as a male. Is usually
  heterosexual family oriented.
•  
• Man will wear womens underwear or full clothing
  (often in secret).
• Onset- early adolescence.
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Pedophilia

• DSM-IV diagnosis
• Adults who derive sexual gratification through
  physical often sexual contact with prepubertal
  children unrelated to them.
•  
• Offender must be at least 16 yrs old 5 yrs
  older than child.
•  
• Occurs mostly in men comorbid with mood
  anxiety disorders.
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What is incest?

• Sexual relations between close relatives for whom
  marriage is forbidden.
•  
• Most common form brother/sister.
• Egyptian pharaohs.
• Factors
• Patriarchal structure in families.
•  parents in families neglectful of children
•  mother may be absent or disabled
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Incest-A subtype of pedophilia

• Two distinctions
•  
• 1. Incest by definition occurs between members
  of the same family.
•  2. Incest victims tend to be older than victims
  of a pedophiles desires.
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What is voyeurism?

• sexual gratification is obtained by watching
  others undress or have sexual relations.
• Voyeurs like the element of risk involved with
  possibly getting caught.
•  
• May masturbate while watching others.
•  
• Voyeurism typically begins in adolescence, voyeur
  usually fears direct contact with others.
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What is exhibitionism?

• derives pleasure by exposing oneself to others.
• Will masturbate either during exposure or shortly
  after.
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• The goal is to shock others.
•  
• Urge to expose oneself is overwhelming
  virtually uncontrollable.

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What is frotteurism?

• involves deriving pleasure from touching an
  unsuspecting person.
•  
• May rub penis against womans thighs, may fondle
  breasts or genitals. Typically occurs in crowded
  public places.