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Nature vs. Nurture in Gender Development

The interest in the Interaction between hormones and behavior is not new there has long been a question of whether an individual is born with a specific identity or whether they are nurtured or pushed into a certain role, and how well they can adapt to and assimilate into a specific gender. First it is important to understand that gender is complicated and consists primarily of of three elements. The Gender role, this is the assumption of behavioral traits which are either masculine or feminine and considered to be correct or characteristic of a specific sex. The second element of gender is gender identity; this is a individuals private and personal sense of their sex. Third is an individual’s sexual orientation, which encompasses is individual’s desire for other individuals of similar or different genders from themselves. Sex is a biological term and it is used to distinguish the gender referring to the actual functional differences between males and females, an individual’s sex is the genetic difference an individual’s sex is encoded their chromosomes. Gender is a psychological term encompassing several different elements, this is a person’s psychological, biological, and sociological factors and the individuals feelings about sex. Gender role is the assumption of behavioral traits that are markedly masculine or feminine, and typically the traits are what are socially deemed to be appropriate or characteristic of a certain sex. Gender Theories and Development There are two profoundly different theories for how an individual’s gender develops. One is that the nurturing which individuals experience during childhood determine gender, in direct contrast with the concept that nurture has little to do with gender and is instead influenced by ones nature or biological factors. Dr. John Money who was a

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