Representation of Gender & Sexuality in Literature

Analyzing Gender and Ethnicity Through a Psychological Lens

Sabrin Shaikh AU190138

introduction

Gender is an essential aspect of the exploration of social identity; it defines the roles and expectations of the individual in pre-existing constructs of society. An individual's Ethnicity refers to a group of people who share a common cultural background. Gender and Ethnicity are two aspects closely related to each other. Both of these facets constitute a major role in one's identity. Individuals often become prey to being religious followers of their ethnicity. There can be gender differences in how dedicated one may be to their culture, such that females may be more protective of their ethnic dignity than males. However, in face of this there can also be situations where one may not agree with the gender roles laid down by their culture or may not be satisfied with their gender assigned at birth both of which are often not welcomed well in certain ethnic groups. When these standards are not met it leads to psychological distress which can cause a lot of disturbance in one's life. Gender Dysphoria is one such condition which is seen differently by each ethnicity. These different perspectives can be conveniently analyzed through a psychological lens.

Gender Dysphoria

Descending to the term 'Gender Dysphoria' was one big battles for psychologists and psychiatrists around the world. Initially known as 'Gender Identity Disorder (GID)' has always been viewed as a problem not because of the nature of the condition but because of it's inclusion in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V). Gender in terms of psychology is defined as a social construct and generally based on the norms, behaviors, and societal roles expected of individuals based primarily on their sex. While the DSM-V Gender Dysphoria is described as "a marked incongruence between their experienced/expressed gender and assigned gender".

The transition from Gender Identity Disorder to Gender Dysphoria was actually a huge step because before it was at the verge of being considered as a disorder which would invalidate so many identities, but now it mainly describes one's dissatisfaction with their gender assigned at birth. However, that does not mean that Gender Dysphoria is not a mental health problem. In fact, it does have devastating effects on one's mental health but the key point to remember is that the kind of help that follows the diagnosis of Gender Dysphoria is not to bring them in terms with their gender assigned at birth, but the intervention is more oriented towards helping them reach a state of mind where they can overcome their identity crisis and are able to find comfort with the gender they identify with.

Gender Dysphoria through different Ethnicities

One's ethnicity can affect them in unexplainably drastic ways. It cannot be denied that one's ethnicity is shapes one's sense of belonging. As a result of which, people often tend to ignore beliefs and opinions that may goes against those social norms. But what they don't realize is that by repeatedly denying the call of their mind, they are only weakening the identity they may actually belong to.

Asian

In Asian context, Gender Dysphoria is often a topic pushed under the rug because traditionally anything that is even slightly outside the social construct is considered a sin (Magnusson & Marecek, 20). With regards to this, it is a given fact that in Asian countries anything beyond Male or Female is extremely frowned upon, so it is a given that those who have Gender Dysphoria are likely to not receive help to alleviate from the ill effects on their mental health because they will consistently be reminded of how their beliefs and ideas are wrong in the eyes of the society. Moreover, Asians also have set rules and roles that have to be followed by each gender. For instance, the male of the house is often seen as the 'breadwinner' of the house and the women is seen as the 'child bearer'. So what happens when individuals belonging to this ethnicity do not want to identity with these roles? This is exactly what the psychological perspective advocates for. It goes on to state, that there is nothing wrong in one not identifying themselves with their birth assigned gender and roles associated to it, regardless of what ethnicity they belong to.

White

Additionally, People may go to different extremes to cope with Gender Dysphoria. The White Ethnic culture is a little more accepting of this condition. Moreover, the condition is also often acknowledged with people who insist on maintaining a positive attitude towards this. They emphasis here is not on transforming the mindset of the individual but to decrease the psychological issues that come with it. In addition to this, the White Culture may impose certain gender roles but these are not exactly mandated upon the individuals because they are allowed to take the liberty of deciding for themselves. Although, this may not be the general situation because mainstream gender stereotypes exist everywhere. The only difference is that in a White context it is more convenient to escape from them. One of the primary limitations noted in the majority of research on transgender issues and Gender Dysphoria is the lack of inclusion of ethnic and racial minorities within samples; it is not uncommon for studies to report samples that are 80% or more White (Budge and Pankey, 177).

Latin

Latino culture is especially concerned that differing sexual mores, values, and customs will corrupt the younger generation. They tend to place high value on the ideal of cultural preservation. If the female has more free time than the male, it is assumed for her to complete more household duties. The macho concept of the exaggerated importance of being male is inculcated in a male child from a very early age. While, Girls are constantly reminded of their inferiority and weakness and usually praised for their docility, submissiveness, and attractiveness. In addition to this, Male and female homosexuality is not looked on favorably in the Latino community. With regards to this, it is unquestionable to assume that cases of Gender Dysphoria are likely to be ignored and suppressed to preserve ones cultural dignity.

Imposition of gender roles from a very young age wherein the females are trained to be model wives to their husbands and males are to be the ones providers to their families.

CONCLUSION

Analyzing gender and ethnicity through a psychological lens sheds light on how one's ethnicity can play a major role in determining choices with regards to their gender. One's Ethnicity can constitute a greater part of their life and in face of this concerns with their gender identity can be challenging if their culture poses questions on their decisions. However, this does not have to be a gruesome experience because often over indulging into one's culture can be distressing which then leads to detachment from self-needs. At the end of the day one's ethnicity no matter how intimate it is to their identity can not determine the way one decides to lead their life.

Works Cited

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