The Biological Foundations of Gender. A Delicate Balance

Journal title PSICOANALISI
Author/s Mark Solms
Publishing Year 2018 Issue 2018/1
Language Italian Pages 17 P. 27-43 File size 280 KB
DOI 10.3280/PSI2018-001002
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Most people imagine that biological gender is a simple dichotomy between male (XY) and female (XX). On this basis, people born with male sexual anatomy who "believe" they are female, and vice versa, are understood to be suffering from a psychological disorder. This is by no means always the case; it is not even usually the case. In fact, it is a gross misconception which is completely contradicted by the scientific facts. In this contribution, I will describe how gender develops in the fetal body and brain, and I will show how complicated - almost impossible - it is to decide exactly what distinguishes male from female. It seems we are - all of us - a subtle and complex mixture of both.

Keywords: Gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, nature/nurture

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  • Aspetti della transessualità. Dalla consultazione alla costruzione della relazione analitica Aristide Tronconi, in PSICOTERAPIA E SCIENZE UMANE 3/2020 pp.425
    DOI: 10.3280/PU2020-003007

Mark Solms, Fondamenta biologiche del genere. Un equilibrio delicato in "PSICOANALISI" 1/2018, pp 27-43, DOI: 10.3280/PSI2018-001002